


In Another Life

by Leksaa



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Drama, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Highschool AU, Panic Attacks, mental health, pikulena
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:34:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 66,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27334990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leksaa/pseuds/Leksaa
Summary: Pieck attends Utgard High, a prestigious private high school in the rich end of town. Since starting, she has had her eyes on the charismatic and popular Yelena. Having never had a class together before and no proper chance to meet, Pieck resolves to admire her from afar. But what happens when their paths finally cross? Will she still like the person underneath?  Highschool AU. Pikulena end game. Slow (ish) burn. NSFW eventually. They're both 18.
Relationships: Pieck/Yelena (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Comments: 164
Kudos: 299





	1. And Then We Met

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first ever fanfic. Please let me know how I did :) but also be kind.  
> Thanks!

**Chapter 1**

  
Utgard High was a prestigious private high school located in the east of Libierio. The school building was largely intimidating, resembling that of an old castle, with a well groomed football field in the back and bleachers spanning the sidelines. It was renowned for it's exceptional extra curricular activities and scholarship programs.

  
Utgard, being a private school, expected students to follow a dress code that consisted of a white dress shirt, red tie, vest, and a black blazer jacket adorning the school crest on the left breast and upper arm. The girls were expected to wear a red pleated skirt, no higher than the knees, and the guys to wear red dress pants.

  
The majority of the students who attended Utgard High came from wealthy, well off families, however there was a small percentage of students who made it in thru scholarships and exceptional grades alone.

  
Pieck was one of those few students and after going thru an extensive interview process, she had proven herself worthy of attending the reputable school. Personally, she had felt it was rather pretentious of a school to feel it could cherry pick who could or couldn't attend it based strictly on wealth and power. Unfortunately, she wasn't in a position to argue and by being here it gave her a one up when it came time to applying for universities. She figured, even though she didn't agree with how the school went about picking it's students, it didn't mean she couldn't or shouldn't play the game to get ahead.

  
And so, here she was. A senior attending Utgard High, sitting at a table in a bustling cafeteria among her peers, admiring the view.

  
The view being: a tall, blonde, and charismatic woman across the room. 'She' was one of the most popular girls in school, but not in the way some girls were popular. No. She was good looking no doubt, but closer to handsome than pretty. Riveting even. Her androgynous body type and cool, confident presence was more than enough to earn her the admiration and respect of boys and girls alike. Despite this though, she never dated anyone at the school and had broken many a girls hearts who had the nerve to confess their love to her.

  
"She looks so sad" Pieck said to no one in particular, hand on chin and gazing off into the distance at the captivating blonde.

  
"Excuse me" Hitch responded, confused. "Who? Yelena?" Hitch looked across the cafeteria at the handsome blonde happily chatting away to some classmates.

  
"I think you need to get your eyes checked" commented Porco as he stuffed some more rice into his mouth.

  
Pieck's eyes softened, not looking away nor elaborating on her statement. It was no secret among her friends that she had a crush on the blonde. Since the first day she saw her 3 years ago, she couldn't help but feel pulled to the dashingly tall woman somehow. However, Pieck wasn't brave nor arrogant enough to confess her crush to a practical stranger and resigned herself to gawking at the blonde from afar. It was hard to believe they were now beginning their senior year and she had still not had a single class with Yelena in all these years. She supposed it was because they had vastly different aspirations. Where Pieck spent her time towards creative extra credits, such as Art and Music, Yelena used her extra credits for things like Law and Debate. Of course they never crossed paths, she thought to herself. Maybe they were fundamentally just too different of people. However, this didn't stop Pieck from admiring her from a distance. There was something about Yelena that tickled the back of her inquisitive mind, something unnatural about the front she put on and the way she carried herself.

As she mulled over this, Pieck thought back to a conversation she had when first inquiring about Yelena.

* * *

  
_"Really?" The raven haired girl had questioned._

  
_"Yeah, not even Onyankopon knows much about her and I thought they were pretty good friends." Marlowe responded matter of factly._

  
_"Isn't that strange.." Pieck mumbled with a flicker of curiosity in her eyes._

  
_"Right!? I'm telling you she's fucking weird. I wouldn't be surprised if she was secretly a serial killer! Or a mafia boss!! Man I can totally see that" The red hair man fretted. "I bet that's how she convinced the school to let her wear pants instead of a skirt!"_

  
_"Floch! Don't be an asshole." Marlowe chastised his friend. "She's just a private person, there's nothing wrong with that"_

  
_"What? No! Nobody is THAT secretive." Floch snapped._

* * *

  
"Pieck!"

  
The raven haired girl was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a nudge on her shoulder.

  
"C'mon. we need to get to class" Annie stated, dead pan. As she said this she looked down at the space infront of Pieck "did you not bring a lunch again today?" she inquired.

  
"Hm? Oh no. I did, I'm just not hungry" Pieck explained as she began gathering her bag and textbooks, standing up from her chair.

  
As Pieck turned to leave she was met with cold blue eyes that bore into her tired brown ones.

  
"Do I need to be worried" Annie sternly inferred.

  
Pieck smiled warmly "of course not."

  
Annie stared into the brunettes eyes a moment longer before deciding not to press the issue further, for now anyways. They had been friends since elementary school, and Annie was privy to all the ways Pieck would hide her struggles so as not to have her friends worry. But Annie was fully aware of all that Pieck's family had gone thru over the years and she wished so desperately that Pieck would accept help from her friends in carrying the burden.

  
However, this appeared to simply not be in Pieck's nature. Whether it was out of pride, stubbornness, fear or a simple inability to do so, Pieck never spoke of her troubles or asked for support. If anything, she always brushed everything off as being but a minor inconvenience or being a smaller deal than it was. To an outsider, she would appear to have it all together, thanks to her calm, easy going demeanor and straight A grades. But to those closest to her, the struggles were obvious in the exhaustion behind her eyes, in the lunches she 'forgot' , and in the get togethers she constantly declined. To those closest to her, it was obvious Pieck was just barely holding herself together. However, what were her friends to do when all their well intentioned attempts to help were declined.

  
All Annie could think to do was to just, be there. Incase a day would come that Pieck would finally fall apart from all the pressures of life. And if that day would come, Annie resigned herself to be there to pick up the pieces. The two girls left the cafeteria to catch up with the rest of their friends. 

  
"Are you guys coming to the game tonight?" Porco piped up as the group made their way thru the hallway to class.

  
"Can't. Have practice tonight" Annie stated simply.

  
"Marlowe and I will be there! Kick ass tonight!" Hitch exclaimed pumping her fist in the air. "Go Titans Go!"

  
"Yeah!!" Marcel shouted copying Hitch's enthusiasm. 

Tonight was the night of the first football game of the school year. Utgard High, also known by their team name The Titans, would be going against one of their biggest rivals, Stohess High. Marcel and his brother, Porco, played on the team and both took it very seriously in hopes of gaining sports scholarships. 

  
Porco slowed to walk beside Pieck before murmuring "you?"

  
"I'm sorry, can't tonight. I have a big art project to finish." she explained. "But I look forward to hearing all about it tomorrow" Pieck smiled up at Porco.

  
"You never take a day off, do you?" Porco deduced as he playfully poked Pieck in the head.

  
"No rest for the wicked, as they say" the brunette alluded with a smile as the increasingly rowdy group came up to the music classroom.

  
"this is my stop." she stated "See you tomorrow?" hopeful.

  
Porco nodded before turning to leave.

  
"don't work too hard" he said over his shoulder with a wave.

  
"Never" Pieck said in barely a whisper as she spun around to follow Hitch and Marlowe into the music room.

* * *

The rest of the day passed without much excitement. Pieck's afternoon classes consisted of music, art and psychology. All of her favorites. It was the little things in life that cheered her otherwise gloomy self up. She wasn't sure how much help these classes would be towards a future career but she figured, if nothing else, music and art could give her possible scholarships opportunities for university. 

  
After classes were over, Pieck said goodbye to her friends, then rushed home to check on her dad and change her clothes before hoping on a bus to the other end of town.

  
_"Where are you going?" Her father had asked, sadness apparent in his eyes._

  
_"Just to hang out with some friends, dad" Pieck smiled warmly. As the words left her mouth she saw a flicker of joy in her fathers eyes._

  
_"Oh, I'm glad. I was worried you were going to work again. You're always so worried about the finances. A teenager shouldn't be concerning themselves with those sorts of things. You should only be worried about working for a little extra money to buy clothes for yourself or to impress the boys" He exasperated with a bit of humor in his voice at the last statement "or girls, that is. Or whatever it is teenagers do nowadays."_

_"I know dad" Pieck affirmed quietly looking down at the ground like a scolded child._

_"I don't want you working so much, Pieck. I know you worry but I have it all covered. I'm your dad, it's my job to take care of you! Not the other way around." The older man huffed, the stress of his emotions bringing on a coughing fit._

  
_Pieck fretfully tended to him, grabbing him his nasal prongs and oxygen tank "I know dad. I know. You have it under control." she said quietly. It broke her heart to see her dad so sick and distressed. She wanted nothing more than to take his pains and worries away._

  
As Pieck sat on the bus and gazed out the window, her mind was deep in thought, lamenting about her current situation.

  
She had picked up some extra shifts at a convivence store in the shadier part of Liberio. She needed the money and they needed the help. Their regular employee was off work due to a family emergency and not many employees were too keen to work the late shift in that end of town. However, she was desperate and not in a position to be picky. Despite what her dad tried to tell her, she knew full well they were drowning in debt. The house was paid off thanks to the compensation from the tragedy of her mothers fatal accident years earlier. But that didn't cover all the other expenses that came with owning a house; and with her dad being off work sick, they were just barely getting by between bills and medical expenses. At one point, her father had talked about selling the house and renting somewhere in the cheaper side of town. Selfishly, Pieck argued til her father yielded. This house was all they had left of her mom. All the memories she had of her were there. She didn't want to give it up, even if it meant running herself into the ground to hold onto it. 

  
She supposed a part of her felt responsible for their struggles now. If she had let her dad sell when he wanted to, maybe they wouldn't be in such a precarious situation. Maybe they wouldn't be struggling so hard, and he wouldn't always look at her with such sadness. This was why she felt she couldn't ask for help or complain. She chose this and she accepted the repercussions of her choice. It was no one else's burden but her own. 

  
However, she did feel bad for lying to everybody all the time. But she knew all too well that by telling the truth all it would accomplish was worry and unnecessary fretting over her. It wouldn't be any help to the situation regardless. So, why bother people unnecessarily, she thought. It wouldn't change anything anyways. 

  
Lost in her thoughts for some time, she had finally reached her stop. She gazed at the lonely store in the middle of the commercial area of town. Most buildings looked abandoned, boarded up and full of graffiti. There were some gray, decrepit apartment buildings lining the street and loud music playing off in the distance. Luckily the bus stopped not far outside the convivence store, so Pieck didn't have to walk far. 

  
As she entered the brightly lit shop she quickly introduced herself to her coworkers before being brought to the staff room to put away her belongings and don her apron and name tag. She was then briefly orientated to the minor differences of the store compared to where she was usually stationed and was put to work at the register. By 8pm she was on her own in the bright lights of the convivence store, her partner having gone home for the evening. 

  
The store was fairly busy for the next couple hours, all sorts of patrons entering and leaving the facility. Some people would be nervous by the sketchy cliental in the neighborhood, but not Pieck. No. She found it interesting to watch the wide variety of people coming and going, and comparing the differences between this store and the store in the middle class area she usually worked in. She found it was more or less the same, the only major difference being that the people here overall appeared much more haggard. A life time of hardships etched on their faces. Pieck felt she could somewhat relate. Similar to her home store, most people came in with the sole purpose to get what they wanted, and then left without much ripples. By 10pm it had all but died off and now she stood alone listening to the hum of the equipment. She debated on whether she should start her nightly cleaning duties before the next rush of customers.

  
Just as she came to a decision the door bell chimed and a Tall, dark, hooded figure sauntered into the store. Pieck observed, taking note of the black hoodie, ripped jeans and converse shoes, as the figure made their way to the back fridge of the store. They picked out a soda drink before coming up to the counter and placing it down, pulling an ear bud out of their ear. Despite the extra foot of lifted floor behind the counter, the person on the other side was nearly at eye level with Pieck, probably taller if they had actually stood up straight. 

  
"I'd also like a pack of smokes, please" a deep but feminine voice said, looking down at her wallet and pulling out cash.

  
"ID please" Pieck stated. 

  
The woman looked up from her wallet at Pieck, with a questioning expression on her face. 

  
"Where's Ito?" she quirked an eyebrow just now realizing someone different was tending the store. 

  
"Family emergency" The shorter woman retorted.

  
The tall woman scoffed slightly, rummaging thru her wallet for her ID. 

  
"Here" a slender hand passed the plastic card to Pieck. 

  
"Hood off please" Pieck said this with a smile as she eyed the card and name. _Yelena Stein._

  
"Right. Sorry." Yelena pulled her hood off, straw yellow hair shining in the fluorescent lights. Her voice was polite but her eyes, unimpressed. Pieck found this amusing.

  
"I didn't realize you were 18. My apologies, Yelena" as she spoke, the name rolled off her tongue with a sultry undertone. 

  
At this moment it occurred to Yelena where she had seen this woman before. ' _Fuck_.' She thought. Utgard being a private school had strict policies in terms of students dabbling in illicit substances, cigarettes included despite not being illegal. The school felt it had a certain image to uphold and didn't want students tarnishing it's polished appearance. 

  
"You'll keep this between us, won't you?" Yelena eyed the name tag before returning her gaze to the clerks' "Pieck." She smiled widely, her most charming smile. Pieck would later akin this smile to that of a shark, honing in on it's prey. Yelena handed the cash to Pieck as she took back her ID card. 

  
"I'll think about it." The raven haired girl replied with a lazy smile of her own, handing Yelena her change and placing the smokes on the counter. This evoked a twitch of the eyebrow and slightest of frowns on the blonde's lips.

  
"You know, this isn't the safest area to be out in this late at night" Yelena wagered.

  
"Are you worried about me" Pieck responded kindly.

  
"I'm just stating a fact is all" as Yelena said this, she broke her gaze to glance out at the darkness thru the window briefly.

  
"I appreciate the concern, Yelena, but I'll manage" There was a hint of amusement in Pieck's tone as Yelena looked back at her. 

  
Something about the way Pieck spoke her name and held her eye contact, sent a shiver of excitement up Yelena's spine. Was Pieck flirting with her? Teasing her? Antagonizing her? Yelena couldn't tell. All she knew was there was something more to this person than the pleasant way she spoke and easy smiles she gave. She was somehow both genuine, yet secretive, and this piqued the blonde's interest. 

  
"What time are you off" Yelena questioned with a raised eyebrow.

  
"Midnight" Pieck stated simply. 

  
Yelena nodded, grabbing her smokes and drink.

  
"Well then. Stay safe... Pieck." she responded cryptically flashing her one last smile. 

  
Pieck quirked an eyebrow as she watched Yelena pull her hood back up and turn to leave. Pieck's eyes followed the woman out of the store and watched as she lit a smoke and walked down the street, almost seeming to have made a point of not glancing back at her. The short woman wasn't sure if she was being threatened or if Yelena was genuinely concerned for her well being. Was she going to get jumped after work for not agreeing to keep quiet about the smokes? Should she be worried? As strange as it was, she wasn't concerned. As intimidating as the blonde could be, Pieck didn't much find her scary at all. And now that she thought about it, of all people, she had never expected to come across the handsome blonde in this end of town. Did she live nearby? Pieck's mind was churning curiously with questions. 

  
This having been Pieck's first true interaction with the blonde she decided that, yes, she did indeed like this woman. What a strange and curious person she was after all, Pieck thought. 

* * *


	2. And Now We're Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pieck and Yelena get to know each other better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter gets a little bit NSFW.

After her shift, Pieck could feel eyes watching her but in the darkness of the night, the streets appeared desolate. Pieck shivered slightly, partly from cold and partly from nerves. As much as she held a brave face, she couldn't help but be a little nervous now that she was out of the perceived safety of the store, standing at a bus stop in the dead of night. She had half expected to see Yelena again after her shift and felt a pang of disappointment when the blonde never showed up. 

Finally her bus came and she made the 30 minute journey home, this time opting to work on homework instead of getting lost in her thoughts and feeling sorry for herself. ' _Might as well be productive_ ', she thought. 

The next day, Pieck was treated to the excited chatter of her friends reliving the football game. 

"So, there we were, 30 seconds left on the clock. Stohess is 3 points ahead of us, about to take the game. This was our last chance. Do or die." Porco's expression is intense as he tells his story. "We decide, gotta go for the touchdown. We're 30 yards out and It's a gamble but we have to try. We have a plan." 

Pieck listened intently, staring into Porco's excited eyes. He always became more animated when talking about football, his passion for it evident in the way his voice fluctuated when he spoke of it. 

"So the whistle blows. Reiner and Marco spear head forward and create an opening for me. I break thru the enemy defense and make a break away to the end zone." Porco's voice begins to escalate. "Marcel tosses the ball, a beautiful throw! It's heading to fall right in front of me!" 

Pieck noticed the Cafeteria becoming quiet, listening to Porco's story. Porco, jumps up on the table and enthusiastically spreads his arms "As I reach out for the ball, I see the enemy jump in front of me, flailing helpless to block it." Porco is shouting now. "He misses! The ball goes right thru his hands!" 

Porco gestures wildly "I dive forward! Hands outstretched! I'm in the end zone now! The ball lands right in my hands. I grasp onto it for dear life. And..."

Porco jumps up, throwing his arms in the air and screams "TOUCH DOWN!!!" 

The cafeteria erupts in cheers and hollers with as much excitement as the night before. Pieck claps enthusiastically, smiling up at Porco as he encourages the crowd of rowdy students. They begin chanting 'Ti-tans Ti-tans Ti-tans', Porco fist bumping with ever syllable. 

Pieck's face softens as she begins looking around at the crowd of students. Just then, her eye got caught on dark brown ones staring right at her. _Yelena_. Pieck holds her gaze across the cafeteria, cracking a smile at her. She doesn't have a chance to see Yelena's expression before being swallowed by the crowd. 

Just then a thunderous bang fills the room as the double doors to the cafeteria swing open. 

"I didn't realize we were housing a bunch of farm animals" the voice booms out. 

"Shit it's professor Levi" Porco quickly jumps off the table and sits back down beside Pieck, trying to look casual. For a moment, he had totally forgotten they were still in school. 

"While it's great to see the school spirits so high, lets remember to keep volumes at a reasonable level." The short man said loudly. "This is still a school, and classes are going on despite what you may believe."

Though tiny, Levi had a strong, terrifying presence. He was well known for his strict, no bullshit attitude. None of the students dared to mess with him. The cafeteria was dead silent, everyone sitting still in their seats. 

"That's better" and with that he turned heel and left. 

Porco exhaled sharply not having noticed he was even holding his breath. Levi must not have saw him standing on the table, because if he did, he was sure he would've had to scrub the entire cafeteria for his misdemeanor. 

After the chatter began again in a quiet hum, Pieck turned to Porco. 

"The game sounded amazing, it must've been a real treat to see live. I'm sorry I missed it." she smiled.

"It was!!" Hitch piped up.

"Hopefully you'll be able to catch the next one, I'll get a touchdown for you" Porco grinned with a clench of his fist. 

"I would like that" Pieck said blissfully. 

* * *

After class that afternoon, Pieck headed home to catch up on some much needed studying and homework. 

As she was walking she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She moved to the side to allow the person to pass, except they didn't. Pieck quirked an eyebrow as she turned to look who it was. Yelena came up beside her, casually carrying her bag over one shoulder. 

"Hey" she said coolly, looking at the shorter woman. 

Pieck looked up at her, pleasantly surprised and smiled "Hey yourself."

"What are you doing tonight" The handsome woman asked calmly, maintaining an air of serene composure.

"Homework. Shouldn't you be doing the same?" Pieck gently teased. 

"Wanna do it together?" Yelena asked. 

Pieck managed to keep a straight face, but inside her heart skipped a beat. _Yelena wanted to hang out. WITH HER?_ Her head started to spin with all the thoughts and imaginations of hot kisses, and entangled bodies while they 'studied' together. Yelena had a rep for being a bit of a play boi, not so much with girls from their school, but other schools. Or so the rumors told. Before she even knew what she was saying she responded,

"I'd love to." 

  
And just like that, they made their way to Pieck's house while making small talk about classes and the weather.

Pieck lived on a quiet residential street, in a quaint 2 story home. It was about a 20 minute walk from the school, but Pieck didn't mind. When they walked thru the door they were greeted by Pieck's dad. Pieck introduced Yelena, and Yelena being the ever polite and charismatic individual she was, bowed to him with a pleasant "nice to meet you". After the introductions they made their way upstairs to Pieck's room. 

Yelena observed the room was of a comfortable size, a double sized bed pushed against the wall, with a large pink comforter and exuberant amount of pillows. On top of the nicely made bed, sat two stuffed animals, a worn old teddy bear and a brown horse. Yelena thought it looked rather cozy. 

In the middle of the room was a low rectangular table with a cushion on either end and a small TV to the side with a DVD player and shelf full of various genres of movies. Yelena noted the room appeared, what could only be described as a clean mess. Things were put away but didn't look particularly organized in any specific way. Stacks of paper sat on shelves with a mish mash of books and ornaments on various surfaces in the room. The only surface clear, being that of the low table in the center of the room. 

Yelena also noticed a desk in front of the only window in the bedroom, cluttered with more papers, an electric kettle, cups and a variety of cacti and succulents. _Interesting_ she thought to herself. 

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Pieck ventured. 

"No, Thank you. I'm fine for now." Yelena responded politely. 

Yelena sat at one end of the table pulling out a textbook and some notes from her bag. Pieck followed suit and the two sat in silence, concentrating on their studies much to Pieck's mild disappointment. Maybe Yelena did have innocent intentions, she thought. 

Pieck did her best to focus on her work however her mind continued to wonder to the handsome blonde sitting across the table from her. She wondered why she was there and how she remained so cool, calm and collected. She acted as if yesterday wasn't the first time they had spoken to each other, as if they had been friends for years and this was just a normal occurrence. Pieck found it strange but couldn't help but be intrigued and curious where this was going to go. What was Yelena aiming for? 

After some time passed, Yelena put her pen down and decided to break the silence. 

"So what classes are you taking next semester" Yelena rested her chin on her hand looking across the table at Pieck. 

"Biology, Chemistry, Sociology, Music and World History" The raven haired girl explained, not looking up from her notes. 

"Interesting choice of classes." The blonde commented. "What are your career aspirations?" Yelena gazed intently at the smaller woman.

At this, Pieck looked up from her notes to meet eyes with Yelena. "I don't have a clear plan at the moment. I just want to keep my options open and see where it takes me." She placed her pen down and smiled "Ready for some tea?"

Yelena nodded before continuing their conversation. "I never pegged you as the type to fly by the seat of your pants." The tall woman smirked. 

Pieck chuckled at this comment as she got up to plug in her electric kettle. "I don't really see the point in meticulously planning ones life out when it can change in an instant. It makes more sense to just take it as it comes and see where you go" she explained. "I assume you have a clear goal in mind yourself though?"

"Yes. I'm going to become a Prosecutor." Yelena stated.

"You're ambitious" Pieck said with a smile. "Why a Prosecutor?" 

Yelena smirked looking down at the table. "Oh you know, because I believe in childish things like justice and making the world a better place" There was a slight tone of sarcasm in her voice as she spoke before becoming more serious. "I want the satisfaction of putting society's monsters behind bars."

"Criminals." Pieck said flatly. "Like drug dealers and thieves?" 

"No I'm not interested in petty criminals. I want to go after the serial killers, rapists and pedophiles. The people that truly need to pay for their sins. The ones that deserve the worst punishments." Yelena explains with some passion seeping through in her voice. 

Pieck nods thoughtfully, paying close attention to Yelena's mannerisms and changes in tone as she spoke. Just then the kettle began to whistle prompting Pieck to unplug it.   
"Why do you think those types of people do the things that they do?" She asked as she set to work making the tea. 

"Because they think they can get away with it." Yelena commented bluntly. 

"You don't believe they're simply the product of their environment and circumstance?" Pieck inquired, looking out the window at the sunset as the tea steeped. She listened intently to Yelena's response. 

"Sometimes, maybe. If you're looking at it from a nature versus nurture perspective. However, even looking at the nurture aspect, I don't believe that's an excuse to murder or rape someone. And I don't believe they deserve to get away with it, if anything I believe they should be strung up on the streets, their shame on display for the world to see." Yelena spoke with contempt. "How common is it for those people to apologize when faced with the law, but what are they actually sorry for? I believe a vast majority of the time they're only sorry because they got caught, not for the crimes they committed. If given the freedom they'd continue as they were, with no regard for the lives they destroy. They'll never stop of their own volition." Yelena explained before ending it with "Humans are such prisoners to their desires and behaviors." The slightest hint of sadness could be heard in her voice Pieck noted, causing her to glance at the blonde.

The raven haired woman finished making their tea, placing a cup in front of the blonde, before taking a seat with one of her own. 

"Do you really believe what you do will change the world? Like anything you do will truly make a difference?" Pieck asked. 

"I don't have to change the whole world. But if I can prevent one more killer from walking free to kill again, I would call that a victory." Yelena said with determination. 

Pieck looked at Yelena with a smile "That's a nice way of looking at things. Rejoice in small victories as they say." 

Yelena's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared into Pieck's. "You don't believe that though, do you?" 

"I believe the world is a terrible and cruel place. I don't believe anything we do will ever change much, in the grand scheme of things. I believe humans, at their core, are flawed and selfish beings, incapable of true unconditional benevolence. Prisoners of our desires, as you said" Pieck lamented. "I find it hard to celebrate in victories knowing there will always be more war, terror and carnage. More murderers and rapists. Corrupt governments. Looking back at humankinds history, that's all we've ever done. Nothing changes." 

"Hmph. I had no idea you had such a dark and jaded view of the world." Yelena comments thoughtfully, her heart skipping a beat. 

Pieck smiled before she took a sip of her tea and changing the subject. "You know, there was a time I contemplated joining the military. Then I realized how much I hate running and figured I probably wouldn't get far." 

Yelena smiled at Pieck's statement, "That doesn't surprise me. You don't seem like much of a runner" she chuckled a bit in spite of herself at the thought. 

"At that moment in time, I don't think I'd ran since grade school" Pieck said with a straight face. 

Yelena raised an eyebrow "and when were you contemplating the military?"

"Last year. I thought I could join the military for a few years and they could pay for my University" Pieck explained. "So Annie and I went to the gym to train. But as soon as I started running on the treadmill all I could think was 'I hate this.'" 

Yelena bursted out laughing "Oh my god, You're such a dork." 

"And just like that, my military aspirations were over." Pieck stated before laughing a bit as well. 

Yelena shook her head with a ghost of a smile on her face. ' _What a strange person'_ she thought. The blonde was becoming incredibly intrigued by the shorter woman. Pieck didn't shy away from difficult or uncomfortable topics, and despite her outwardly happy appearance, she seemed to hold some deeply twisted beliefs of the world. Did she really believe it was all futile? Yelena wondered. 

The two girls fell into a somewhat awkward silence. Yelena looked over at the movies on PIeck's shelf as she sipped her tea. There were action, horror and romance movies displayed in no particular order. 

"Are those all your favorites" Yelena gestured over at the collection. 

"Yes. The action movies are from Annie, romance from Hitch and Horror from Porco. They remind me of them." Pieck smiled fondly as she looked at the shelf. 

Yelena looked at Pieck thoughtfully before looking down at her hand. She tapped her finger lightly against the table, seeming to gain courage from this. 

"Wanna go to a movie with me Saturday" she asked, not looking up from her tapping finger.

"Can't. I already have plans with Annie" Pieck explained. 

Yelena smiled before looking up at Pieck and responding "Another time then."

At this point it was getting dark out and Yelena decided it was probably about time to pack up and head home. Pieck got up to see the tall blonde to the door, half expecting a kiss on the way out. However, she pushed those thoughts from her mind, feeling silly, like a childish school girl with a crush too big to handle. Yelena politely thanked her for the tea and company. 

"It was my pleasure, Yelena" Pieck said as she held the blonde's gaze. 

Yelena gave her one last smile before turning to leave "See you tomorrow then." she said, and Pieck watched her walk off into the night, again noting how Yelena appeared to make a point of not turning to look back at her. 

After, Pieck closed the door and headed back to her room. She flopped facedown onto her bed sighing heavily into it. She felt absolutely smitten with the blonde, even more so now than before. What a peculiar and curious person. There was definitely more to her than she showed. Something dark. Sad. Angry even? She wasn't quite sure. The blonde wore her mask of polite indifference very well, but if Pieck looked closely she could see thru the cracks. 

Pieck silently cursed herself, wishing she could tell her friends about Yelena. However, she wasn't sure she was ready to admit to working extra shifts at the shady convivence store and dealing with the dismay and worry of her friends. One day she would tell them, but for now she figured this would just have to stay her little secret. 

* * *

It was late now, the streetlights had flickered on and the sounds of passing cars were few and far between. 

Yelena found herself laying in bed, but it was not her own. After leaving Pieck's she had received a text from an acquaintance asking her to come over. She knew what that meant and she wasn't one to say no. After leaving Pieck's she was feeling a little bit irritable but she couldn't quite place why. She figured, if nothing else, this would be a good way to blow off some steam and silence her racing thoughts. Sex always made her feel better, she thought. 

She laid on the bed with her pants to her ankles and a woman's face between her legs, sucking at the sweet spot of her nether regions. Yelena enjoyed the feeling, sure, but she wasn't really into it like she had hoped. This wasn't what she wanted after all. As she laid there trying to enjoy the woman's ministrations, her mind wondered back to Pieck. Their conversation that evening, that dopey smile of hers, those intense, calculating brown eyes that unapologetically stared into her soul. It made Yelena both uncomfortable and captivated. 

Yelena began to imagine it was Pieck's lips wrapped around her clit rather than this random woman, whatever her name was. She ran a hand through the girls brown hair, gently holding her head into place. She could feel herself getting closer to the edge the more she visualized Pieck. She closed her eyes and imagined the short woman holding her gaze as her face was between her legs, pleasing her in all the right ways. The thought sent shivers of rapture up Yelena's spine. Her breathing became uneven as she focused on the feeling of her building orgasm. 

It wasn't long before her breathing hitched in her throat and legs clamped around the strangers head. Yelena's back arched as she climaxed, a quiet moan escaping her lips and thoughts of Pieck swimming in her mind. 

As she came down from her high and caught her breath she felt the mystery woman make her way up the bed, now overtop of her. Yelena kept her eyes closed secretly wishing the woman would disappear. 

"I wish you were louder" The woman teased. Yelena half opened her eyes and frowned a bit as her fantasy was interrupted by the very real person in front of her. 

_'I wish you were someone else'_ Yelena thought bitterly before she replied "It's just my nature to be quiet I suppose." 

The woman smiled and leaned down for a kiss, but Yelena turned her head away. This wasn't helping her mood at all, she thought. She needed to leave before her crankiness got the better of her.

"You know, I have to get going" She said as she sat up, and the woman moved back. 

"But you just got here, why don't you stick around awhile. Spend the night even." The woman tried to hide the tinge of hurt in her voice, hopeful to get the blonde to stick around. 

"No, I don't think so." Yelena was now pulling her pants up and getting off the bed, a blank expression on her face. 

"Oh come on, it'll be fun." The woman urged "we could make out and go another round or two. Enjoy each others company, get to know each other some more" She was rambling now. 

Yelena was getting irritated by the woman's insistence. With out even thinking she said "Don't pretend this is more than it is." in a rude attempt to get the woman to back off.

The woman looked at her, tears welling up in her eyes and anger apparent in her voice. "what is this then. I don't think I got the memo."

Yelena looked down at her with a hint of disgust on her face. "You didn't get the memo? What made you believe this was anything more than a booty call in the first place. What, because I was nice to you, you believed I was actually interested in you?" Yelena scoffed as she continued "You're delusional. I have no interest in getting to know you." Her voice was dripping with disdain. 

"Well if all this was, was a booty call to you, then you did a terrible job! You didn't even return the favor!!" The brunette shouted, fists clenched and kneeling on the bed. She felt humiliated and angry. Who was this person. This wasn't the charming, caring Yelena she had met months ago.

"I'd argue it worked out just fine for me." Yelena replied with a shrug and arrogant smirk. "There's no rule that says I'm required to 'return the favor', as you put it." She knew she was being hurtful but at this point she didn't care. This woman was pissing her off and she just wanted the brunette to leave her alone. 

"ASSHOLE" 

* * *

"Yelena!? What happened to your face!?" Onyankopon exclaimed the next day when he saw the blonde, who was now brandishing a bright red bruise and tiny cut on the left side of her face. Turned out Gabriella, that was her name Yelena had later found out, had a pretty good throwing arm and Yelena's cheek was met with the business end of a hardcover book. 

"A minor miscalculation is all" Yelena stated simply. She looked over with a hint of remorse in her eyes "To be honest, I probably somewhat deserved it." 

Yelena wasn't entirely sure what came over her last night. She had completely lost her composure, and the carefully fabricated mask of charm and politeness melted away like ice in a lava pit. She wasn't usually one to let her emotions show through so blatantly but she just couldn't seem to help herself. She had just felt so irritated and Gabriella wouldn't back off. Yelena figures she probably shouldn't have gone there in the first place, knowing she wasn't in her right state of mind. But oh well. The short fantasy of Pieck was nice, Yelena thought. 

She looked at Onyankopon, concern apparent in his eyes. "Don't worry about it, it's done with now. I'm fine" Yelena said. 

Onyankopon nodded knowing better than to prod. The two had been friends for a long time, and he knew her better than most, despite what he told others. She was a mysterious enigma which garnered a lot of attention from people. And because they were friends, it was common for him to be questioned about her. However, he firmly believed in keeping people's privacy and refused to divulge any information about her that she wouldn't say herself. Instead, he preferred to feign ignorance just to avoid the hassle all together. 

"What do you know of Pieck" Yelena asked, changing the subject. 

"Not much. We haven't really talked outside of pleasantries" Onyankopon responded. "I hear she's nice though." 

"hmph."

"Why do you ask?" He raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"Just curious I suppose" Yelena said nonchalantly. 

Onyankopon looked at her curiously. It was rare for the blonde to take a personal interest in _anyone_. 

"What?" Yelena growled, apparently still agitated. 

The dark man chuckled seeing Yelena was clearly still in a mood, "Nothing. Nothing at all. A conversation for another day I think." he said simply, garnering a glare from the handsome blonde. 

* * *

Yelena decided to meet up with Pieck again after school today and walk home with her. She wasn't sure what Pieck's thoughts were of them interacting at school, so she figured for now she would keep it to after hours out of respect and common courtesy. 

"What are you doing tonight?" The blonde asked when she finally caught up to the shorter woman. 

"I have to work, unfortunately." Pieck responded simply, pleased to see the blonde had searched her out again. 

"Is that so? Maybe I'll stop by for some smokes then" Yelena smirked. 

"I'd like that" Pieck responded genuinely, looking up at Yelena. 

Yelena looked at the shorter woman, butterflies welling up in her stomach at Pieck's response. Just then, Pieck tilted her head to get a better look at the blondes face.

"What happened to your cheek? I don't remember leaving you like that when you left last night." she said, concern in her voice. 

"Oh. Got into a little bit of a fight with someone is all" Yelena responded, uncomfortably rubbing her bruise as she looked away with a frown. She had totally forgotten about the mark and was embarrassed for Pieck to see it. She knew the conversation that would potentially come of it, but hoped maybe her answer was enough to satisfy the dark haired woman. 

Pieck noticed Yelena's fidgeting and decided to prod a bit more. 

"With a girlfriend?' Pieck asked calmly, but secretly hoping it wasn't so. 

"No, Nothing like that." Yelena responded, much to Pieck's relief. 

Yelena decided she should probably elaborate as Pieck seemed to be skeptical of her story already. She thought it would probably be easier to just clear the air now rather than drag it out. "It was just this girl I had a fling with. I was acting like an ass. Said some things I probably shouldn't have in the moment." she explained, turning to look at the shorter woman. 

"So the rumors are true. You do sleep around." Pieck teased with a broad grin on her face.

"It's not like that" Yelena scowled. It was true, but for some reason it bothered her that Pieck knew. She didn't want the shorter woman to think differently of her. 

"I'm not judging" The raven haired girl responded truthfully with humor in her voice. _I'd sleep with you in a heart beat_ Pieck thinks to herself but manages to keep a straight face.

Yelena cleared her throat deciding to change the subject "So how did you find the math test today?" 

And with that the two women chattered about some lighter topics til it was time for them to part ways.

* * *

_Later that evening._

It's 10pm and the store was empty. Pieck stood at the counter, spacing out as she waited for her next customer. It had been another busy night similar to the day before. However, just like the other night it had begun to die off after 9 with the odd customer trickling in from time to time. Just then, Yelena walked in carrying a Vanilla Bean Latte from Starbucks. She was dressed similarly to the first time they met at the store, the only difference being her hood down showing off her bright blonde hair. 

Pieck beamed at her "Good evening, Yelena." 

"Good evening." Yelena smiled back placing the drink on the counter. "Here."

"Oh?" Pieck raised an eyebrow, eyeing the drink. 

"To help you get thru the last couple hours" Yelena smirked leaning on the counter so they were at eye level. 

"Thank you, but you didn't have to do this." Pieck said, a bit taken back by the kind gesture. She stared into Yelena's eyes trying to determine the tall woman's motives. _Was she courting her?_ Pieck briefly thought, but quickly brushed the notion away. _Couldn't be._

"I know, but I wanted to" Yelena asserted. 

_Why_ the darker haired woman thought, but held a straight face. "How much was it?" Pieck asked, looking at Yelena somewhat skeptically. 

"None of your business" Yelena responded with a cocky smirk. 

"No seriously." The raven haired woman's brow began to furrow, not breaking eye contact. She hated the feeling of charity or owing people. 

"I'm being serious" Yelena replied simply, not buckling under Pieck's intense gaze. 

"What if I don't like it?" Pieck asked, crossing her arms over her chest trying to discern Yelena's intentions. 

"Then throw it out" Yelena stated simply. She was enjoying the obvious discomfort of the other woman. 

"No really, how much was it?" Pieck politely insisted, but her voice gave away her frustration. 

"Free" Yelena said with a raise of her eyebrows. 

"Yelena..." The shorter woman murmured with a hint of pleading in her voice. 

"Just accept I wanted to do something nice for you and enjoy it." Yelena assured. 

"Fine" Pieck sighed accepting that Yelena wouldn't give in. She could feel her cheeks burning up a bit, a blush threatening to form. "Thank you."

Yelena grinned, proud of herself for finally being able to catch Pieck off her game. The raven haired girl was usually so good at keeping an even expression, seemingly unaffected by what went on around her. It was nice to see that she was able to get under Pieck's skin, even if just a bit. Yelena got an idea, deciding to press a little further. 

"You know, if you really want to repay me..." Yelena ventured, leaning in closer to the shorter woman across the counter. "a kiss would be plenty of compensation" she continued nonchalantly, watching closely for Pieck's reaction. 

The blush that was threatening to form was now in full force on Pieck's face. Her brain had stalled at the thought of kissing Yelena and she struggled to think up a witty comeback. She saw Yelena's smirk turn into an arrogant shark like grin, almost as if to say 'I got you'.

"On the cheek or-" Pieck stammered. She couldn't think of any other way to respond and just said the first thing that came to mind. Yelena was _definitely_ toying with her, she was sure of it now. 

Yelena quirked an eyebrow not expecting the response she got, but enjoying it nonetheless. "Whatever you feel is adequate" She said with a predatory grin.

Just then, the doorbell chimed with another customer and Yelena mentally cursed, leaning back and standing up straight. She looked over at the middle aged man entering the store, heading for the chip aisle before glancing back at a flustered Pieck. Yelena figured she should let the shorter woman get back to work. 

"I'll take a pack of smokes" She said in an even tone as if she hadn't just been flirting with the raven haired girl. 

It took a few seconds for Pieck's brain to register what was being asked of her. "ID please" Pieck managed evoking a twitch of the eyebrow from the other woman. 

"Seriously" Yelena retorted with a frown crossing her face. 

Pieck smirked, glad the heat was finally off her. She pointed at the sign stating anyone that appeared under 18 needed ID "Company policy." 

Yelena leaned down and responded in a hushed voice "Oh come on, you know I'm 18." 

Pieck smirked, "Can't be too sure." 

Yelena rolled her eyes before pulling out her ID. "You mercenary." She huffed. "You probably just want an excuse to look at my pretty face" Yelena teasingly whispered before passing the plastic card over to the brunette. 

"That's definitely a bonus" Pieck responded without skipping a beat, grateful she finally regained her status quo. 

Yelena's eyebrow twitched at the quick witted response, struggling to keep a straight face. She swallowed hard. 

Pieck held up Yelena's ID next to the blondes face, looking back and forth, comparing the two intensely. 

"Yep, looks like you are who you say you are" Pieck stated matter of factly, passing the ID back to the handsome blonde. This time, when Yelena reached to grab it, she brushed her fingers along Piecks' staring intensely into the brunettes eyes, trying to gauge her reaction. The touch was brief but electrifying and Yelena thought she could see the slightest hint of desire in the brunettes eyes. She then took her card back and put it away. 

"Here's your smokes" Pieck said in her fake customer service voice as she placed them on the counter. "Have a great night!" With that, she moved the latte behind the register. 

"You as well" Yelena responded with narrowed eyes, before grabbing her smokes and leaving. 

Once Yelena rounded the corner and was out of view of the store, she stopped to exhale a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She exasperatedly rubbed her face with her hands, almost like she was trying to release some pent up energy. 

Why was she so flustered by this girl. Yelena had never felt this way before, so entranced by one person. Pieck's presence felt like a drug she couldn't get enough of. This was dangerous, she thought. But she couldn't help but want more. She had hoped by spending time with the shorter woman, she would lose interest, but it had been the exact opposite. In the few days Yelena had started to get to know the raven haired woman, she was quickly becoming more spell bound. 

Yelena leaned back against the dirty building and looked up at the partly cloudy night sky. She sighed, staring up at the stars and slowly regaining her composer. It was time to head home, she thought, before fumbling in her pockets for a cigarette and lighter. Once her smoke was lit, she lifted up her hood and began to make the journey back to her place of residence. 

The rest of the evening Pieck sipped on the latte, with thoughts of Yelena floating in her head. She wasn't sure how to read her. Was the blonde actually interested in her? Romantically? Sexually? Both? Or was this some sick joke? No... she got the vibe that Yelena was genuine in her interactions with her. Whether it was for sex or a relationship, she wasn't quite sure yet. To be honest, she wasn't sure Yelena herself even knew. But she decided she was open to either outcome. She wouldn't say no to a night of passion with the handsome blonde, that was for sure. Even if that was all that Yelena was after. Pieck stared at the latte pondering. But if Yelena was only after sex, why would she go thru the trouble of bringing her a drink or asking her to the movies? Pieck didn't want to get her hopes up, but it nagged at the back of her brain like a rotting tooth. It just didn't quite fit the narrative that she knew of the blonde. She supposed there was still a lot she didn't know about the imposing woman. 

Pieck was finding that the Yelena was very good at keeping things surface level and not divulging much personal info. Pieck had noticed the night before, Yelena hadn't asked any truly personal questions. Usually people would ask where her mom was, what her dad did for work or ask how sick he was when they saw the oxygen tank and medical equipment. But Yelena hadn't said anything about it. Whether it was out of politeness or a genuine desire not to open herself up to being asked similar questions, Pieck wasn't sure. It was sort of nice though, she had to admit. 

People always looked at her with sadness and pity when she disclosed information about her family. Mom dead, father sick and unable to work. People never knew how to respond. Especially her own peers. And a part of her deeply resented it, even when it was from her own well-meaning friends. She understood it was an uncomfortable topic for most, but if people couldn't handle it then she would prefer to not talk about it at all. 

Just as Pieck was finishing her latte, she noticed a phone number written on the side of her cup. She stared at it for a second, at first thinking maybe the barista had written it there for Yelena to find. Then she noticed the words 'here's my number, text me -Y'. 

Pieck smiled to herself, resolving to message the number as soon as she was done work. 

* * *

Yelena? It's Pieck. Thanks again for the Latte. I'll admit, you have good taste. - (P) 12:07 am

  
  
When Yelena's phone went off and she saw who it was from, her heart skipped a beat. 

I'm glad you saw my number. I realized afterwards it might not have been as obvious as I meant it to be lol. Are you on your way home now? -(Y) 12:08 am 

Yes. Looking forward to sleep. What are you doing up still? You're not fighting with girls again are you -(P) 12:10 am

HA. HA. very funny. I'll have you know I'm studying, and very hard at that. No rest for the wicked as they say **.** \- (Y) 12:11am 

Pieck smirked at this. Yelena sure was fun to tease. 

LOL. Well have a good time studying. Hope you're able to get some sleep. - (P) 12:13 am 

Thanks. You too. Chat tomorrow xx - (Y) 12:14 am 

Pieck felt butterflies well up in her stomach. She wasn't sure what Yelena was looking for, but she couldn't help but hope that maybe Yelena liked her as much as she liked the handsome blonde. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, Yelena was a bit of a jerk this chapter, and Pieck was thirsty AF. lol.  
> I now understand why people like to write one shots. Writing a full fledged story is so much harder than I anticipated hahaha.   
> I have all these ideas, scenarios and events in my head that I want to happen. But when it comes time to writing and string them together, it proves to be much more difficult than expected. I'm enjoying writing this regardless tho!  
> Hope you enjoyed reading it.  
> Next chapter should be up soon-ish.


	3. Today We Kissed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get hot and heavy when Pieck finally makes a move on the tall, commanding woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! I kept changing my mind on how I wanted the chapter to proceed hahaha. Thanks for your patience!

For the past two weeks, Yelena had made an effort to walk home with Pieck everyday after school. For the handsome blonde, it was out of a sheer desire to spend time with the raven haired woman and to get to know her more.

Yelena had begun opening up about her classes, thoughts and ideologies, much to Pieck's interest. And Pieck opened up more about her friends and childhood. Yelena had learned Pieck’s family used to be fairly well off before her mother died, even attending a private elementary school which was where she had originally met a lot of her friends. Yelena also learned the scary looking one's name was Annie.

Yelena had taken a notice to Annie recently. She had caught the short blonde occasionally glaring at her with those piercing blue eyes between class changes. It baffled her since they’d never even spoken before, as far as she could remember anyways. Yelena kept that tidbit to herself however, not wanting to bother the short woman with unnecessary drama. Maybe Annie just had a thing against tall people?

Pieck had been working a lot lately. Nearly fulltime between evenings and weekends, much to Yelena's surprise and over abundance of cigarettes. It was true she smoked, but she really didn’t smoke as much as one might assume based off of the sheer volume she'd purchased in recent weeks. It was simply that, every time Pieck was working she liked to use the excuse of buying smokes to check on her and make sure she was okay (And to get a quick hello in of course). As much as Pieck put on a brave face, Yelena worried about her being in that end of town so late at night. She felt it was her responsibility to keep an eye out for her considering how secretive Pieck was about her part time job. Or at least, that was what the handsome blonde told herself to justify her actions. Deep down, she really just couldn’t get enough of the raven haired woman.

\-----------------

One day, Yelena had to stay late at school for her debate class. They had an upcoming competition and wanted everyone on the same page or something. Yelena wasn’t really paying attention passed the 'stay late' part of the conversation. Much to Yelena's dismay, she sent Pieck a quick text to let her know she wouldn’t be able to walk home with her today. The tall woman was surprised with how disappointed she felt. She really had begun looking forward to her walks home with Pieck everyday.

‘ _But alas, today it was not meant to be_.’ She thought sadly to herself, glancing out the window at the cool fall sky. The days were already getting shorter as winter quickly approached. 

After receiving Yelena's text, Pieck began her quiet walk home, an obvious absence felt. however, just as she began to get lost in thought she heard a familiar voice call out from behind her.

“Wait up” the blonde haired woman said.

Pieck glanced over her shoulder to see Annie jogging up to her.

“Hey” Annie said cooly when she finally caught up.

“Hey yourself” Pieck replied with a warm smile.

“Where’s the walking tree?” Annie stated blankly.

“Huh?”

“Yelena. I noticed you guys have been walking home together lately” Annie said matter of factly.

“Oh. She had to stay late for something or other” Pieck said in an even tone, as if it was no big deal but inside she was panicking. ‘ _Busted_ ’ she thought.

“Weird. When did you two become friends anyways” Annie prodded.

“A few weeks ago I ran into her at work. We got to talking and…. now we’re friends” Pieck said this with a hint of hesitation in her voice and a shrug of the shoulders. She knew Annie was onto her and wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed. She had hoped by keeping it vague, Annie would fill in the gaps herself and not question too much further. Yes, she was lying by omission, but she wasn’t so good at lying straight to people’s faces. And if Annie poked further she would have to tell the truth of her job and just how much she was working.

“I would’ve thought you’d be gushing the moment that giant looked in your direction.” Annie said as she stared at Pieck's face to gauge her reaction. ‘ _What is she hiding?_ ’ the blonde pondered.

Pieck couldn’t think of anything to say, opting to remain silent as she felt the intense gaze of her best friend. This hurt Annie, though she hid it well. She didn’t know why Pieck was being so secretive, but Annie decided now wasn’t the time to pick a fight and let it go. Clearly she wasn’t comfortable opening up to her for whatever reason. ' _As usual_ ’ Annie thought bitterly.

“So what is she like anyways? Is she as charming as they say?” Annie asked simply as she looked ahead.

“Ah yes! Very much so!” Pieck exclaimed, thankful the heat was off her. “And very intimidating at first!!” she chuckled.

Annie nodded.

“I think she’s genuinely a kind person though, deep down. I just need to get to know her better.” Pieck continued with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Annie frowned seeing that her friend's crush had only deepened for the tall woman.

“Just be careful. People have a reputation for a reason, you know. I don’t trust her” Annie said frankly. It was true, she didn’t. She thought Yelena was a snake. Albeit a tall, lanky snake, but a snake nonetheless. And Annie was concerned that Pieck was so enthralled by the dangerous woman.

“I dunno, I think there’s more to her than she lets on,” Pieck explained. “There must be a reason why she’s so shut off about herself. And why she's so outwardly charming, you know? That can't be who she really is. Maybe she was hurt in the past and doesn’t want to get close to anyone.”

“You know you can’t get involved with people thinking you can just fix them” Annie commented.

“I’m not” Pieck snapped, harsher than she meant to. “It’s not that I think I can fix her” She continued in a softer tone. “I’m just curious about her. What is she really like when she lets her guard down? And why does she hide it? What is she afraid of? I’m not arrogant enough to believe I can fix her, or anyone for that matter.” Pieck's face shifted to one of sad contemplation. Yelena didn’t need to be fixed, she was fine how she was, Pieck thought. She just wanted to know what terrible person was underneath all that charismatic charm. And was that shadow as ugly as hers?

“Whatever you say,” Annie sighed deciding to drop the subject entirely.

\----------------------

**That evening...**

When Pieck got home after her heated discussion with Annie, she found her dad packing a small bag.

“Running away from home?” Pieck inquired with humor in her voice. This elicited a hardy laugh from her father, quickly followed by a couple dry coughs.

“No, no, you can’t get rid of me that easy!” he said with a grin. “No, I have an appointment early tomorrow morning across town. And since my sister is kind enough to drive me, I didn’t want to inconvenience her further by having her pick me up so early in the morning. So I offered to spend the night so she can at least sleep in a bit on her day off, you know?”

“Oh. I’ll get a bag ready as well.” Pieck turned to leave when she felt her father grab her arm lightly.

“Oh no Pieck, you don’t need to come tomorrow. It’s just a routine check up. Stay home, relax! Enjoy the peace and quiet of not having to worry about your old man for a change” He insisted.

  
“Dad-” Pieck began before he cut her off.

“I won’t have it! Someone has to stay and take care of the house you know” He said exuberantly.

“It’s one day” Pieck crossed her arms with a frown.

“Exactly! One whole night to yourself. This doesn’t happen very often! What will you do with all that freedom?” He said humorously. Pieck sighed.

“Well.. I mean.... If you insist” Pieck said hesitantly, looking down at the ground.

“I do. I’ll tell you how the appointment goes as soon as I get home tomorrow. Promise,” He said while tipping up Pieck’s chin to look at him with a smile. The raven haired woman smiled back at her father sadly. She always felt incredibly anxious when her dad had Doctors appointments, routine or not. And she preferred to be there because if it was bad news since she didn’t trust him to be truthful with her about it later.

Pieck finally relented however, accepting that this was her dad’s way of gaining some small piece of control in his life and to obtain a tiny bit of normalcy. Being out of the house for a night meant Pieck could do ‘teenage’ things like other teenagers do, he had said, whatever that meant. Pieck had to admit though, she hadn’t seen her dad so thrilled about something in a long time.

When Pieck's aunt and cousin arrived a little while later, she briefly said hello to them before they were off with her dad. Just as he was about to walk out the door, he said over his shoulder “No trashing the house with yer wild teen parties while I’m gone!” He laughed loudly as he shut the door behind him. He was enjoying this way too much, Pieck thought rolling her eyes. ‘ _Really dad?_ ’

This was the first time in a long time Pieck had been home alone. The last time was probably before her dad got sick, she thought. As Pieck stood awkwardly in the hallway, she suddenly felt unnerved by the silence and emptiness of the house.

' _Maybe I'll call Annie and see if she wants to come over_ ' she thought to herself but suddenly felt a pang of discomfort as she remembered their conversation from earlier. It wasn’t really a fight, but Pieck could feel that Annie was displeased with her. She felt that she had somehow let Annie down by not telling her about her friendship with Yelena. 

_Yelena._

This gave Pieck an idea.

Deciding to be bold, she plucked up her courage and sent the handsome blonde a quick text.

Want to come over for a movie? - (P) 18:02

Pieck's heart was pounding out of her chest while she eagerly awaited a response, trying to prepare herself for possible rejection. Yelena was probably busy, and it was such short notice, she thought.

Now? - (Y) 18:03  
If you're free, yes! - (P) 18:03  
Sure. I'll be there in about an hour - (Y) 18:04

"Yes!!" Pieck squealed, throwing her fists up in the air at this small victory. Is this what her dad meant by teenage things? Be alone with your crush and watch a movie? She stood like that for a second or two before the excitement was washed over with anxiety. ' _What should I wear??'_ Normally she would just wear PJs to watch a movie. But was this a date? Would it be weird to dress up in her own home?

' _Yes_ ' she admitted to herself.

It felt like a date but it was never said to be a date. And if she over dressed it might weird the blonde out. PJ's made sense, right??

Pieck crossed her arms, deep in thought. She agonized over what to wear as she eagerly awaited the blonde's arrival.

When the doorbell finally rang some time later, she practically ran to it. She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm her excited heart before answering the door. Here she was greeted by a smartly dressed Yelena carrying a bag of what she could only assume were snacks.

As Pieck stepped aside to let the blonde in, she looked her up and down. Yelena was wearing a black wool trench coat, dark red scarf, white dress shirt and black dress pants, much to Pieck's surprise. Pieck herself had decided on a fuzzy blue two piece pajama set, the top being of the long sleeved button up variety. Now she wondered if she in fact, under dressed. 

"Do you always dress up when you go to a friends place for movies?" Pieck commented with a chuckle, as if she wasn't just agonizing over this very thing moments ago.

Yelena frowned "What do you mean, I always dress like this." Just as the words left her mouth it occurred to her Pieck had only seen her in school uniform or at the convenience store. "well... when I'm not perusing the shady end of town that is...'' she corrected herself with a scratch at the back of her head.

Pieck closed the door behind her, catching a brief glance of a black sports car parked on the street. ' _Was that Yelena's?'_ she wondered. Pieck sometimes forgot that the majority of her classmates came from very wealthy families, and it wasn't until situations like this where she was reminded of the stark class difference between her and the others.

After Yelena removed her scarf and coat, Pieck began to walk down the narrow hall towards the living room.

"I was thinking we could watch Alien. We can even watch it on the big screen tonight" Pieck smiled back at the blonde before turning and leading her the rest of the way down the hall.

"Oh, is your dad going to watch it with us then?" Yelena questioned as she followed the shorter woman, hiding her disappointment of not getting to be alone with her.

"Oh! I guess I forgot to mention. He's not home tonight, it's just us." Pieck's back was to the blonde as she said this, completely missing Yelena’s face light up 5 shades of red.

' _YOU FORGOT TO MENTION_ ' Yelena screamed in her head, stopping for a second to fake a cough and regain her composure. "o-okay" was all she could manage as her mind raced with naughty images of all the things that could happen with the raven haired woman, alone, while they ‘watched a movie’. She shook her head to force the thoughts away and catch up with Pieck down the hall.

As they entered the living room, Pieck held out her arms in front of her "Ta daaaaa~"

Yelena gazed at the cozy room which housed one normal sized, light brown couch, a dark brown coffee table, tv stand and a 55" flat screen tv with a blu-ray player and sound bar.

"We got it on sale a couple years ago" Pieck explained proudly, hands on her hips and chest puffed out.

Yelena nodded, amused. "Very nice." She said with a smirk as she looked over at Pieck, who smiled back warmly at her.

They soon settled down on the couch together, a big bowl of popcorn mixed with M&Ms (at Yelena's insistence) between them. Pieck thought it was a strange combo but after a couple bites she had to agree with the blonde that it was rather tasty.

Pieck sat with her feet up on the couch tucked under her and a fuzzy plaid blanket wrapped around her shoulders, for safety, she had said. Yelena sat with one leg crossed over the other leaning back into the couch, looking elegant as ever.

Pieck LOVED horror movies, the scarier the better. It was one of the things her and Porco bonded over, as they often gushed over the scariest new releases. When she told Yelena this, the blonde had laughed before she went on to explain she just didn't see how something like a movie could be scary.

“I don’t mind watching them though,” she said with a smirk. _'Especially with a cute girl'_

Pieck didn't find Alien to be a particularly scary movie, but it was a classic and one of her favorites, which was why she had suggested it. As they got settled and the movie played, the two women munched on the popcorn between them. It wasn’t until about half way thru the film when they ran out.

"Do you want more?" Pieck asked.

"No I'm good, thanks." Yelena responded with a small wave of her hand.

With that, Pieck placed the empty bowl on the coffee table, now a very obvious gap between the two women. Pieck wanted to close the distance between them but was unsure how. So she slowly began shifting, inching closer to the blonde as the movie continued.

Tonight, she was determined to figure out what Yelena’s true motives were.

The two had subtly been flirting with each other since they first met, but neither of them seemed to be bold enough to make any definitive move. At this point, Pieck had had enough of the games. She hated being in limbo with no definitive answer. At least if she knew her feelings weren’t reciprocated, maybe she could get over this silly little crush of hers. And if it was the latter, maybe their friendship could develop into something more. _Maybe._

At this point, the space between them was mere inches. And as the movie came to a particularly jumpy part, Pieck figured now was her chance to close the gap. As the scene played out with an alien bursting thru a guys chest, Pieck pushed herself into Yelena jokingly screaming as she grasped onto the tall woman’s shirt and pushed her face into Yelena’s chest. Yelena had nearly jumped out of her skin, startled by the noise and quick movement (she had actually been quite invested in the movie, not paying much attention to Pieck surprisingly enough). When her brain caught up to what was happening she froze, heart skipping a beat.

Pieck looked up curiously at Yelena, having not noticed much of a reaction one way or the other, only to see the handsome blonde’s cheeks lighting up with a red hue. Pieck burst out laughing in spite of herself, as she pulled away slightly.

"Hey! What are you laughing at!?" Yelena mustered, uncrossing her legs and shoving Pieck's shoulder gently.

"I had no idea you could be so bashful!!" The short woman laughed as she poked Yelena's flushed cheek. Of all the reactions she was expecting, this was not it. Calm, cool, collected, playboy Yelena, in a fluster from a little physical contact from a woman! Pieck found this hilarious. Maybe it was the nerves getting to her a bit too. 

Yelena grabbed Pieck's hand turning to stare her in the eyes with a frown "Don't tease me" she threatened. Pieck’s laughter subsided, replaced with a cocky grin as she was met with dark, intimidating eyes.

"Why? What are you going to do about it" Pieck whispered huskily as she leaned her face in close to Yelena's, not backing down, expecting some witty comeback.

This triggered something animalistic in Yelena, every cell in her being seemingly lit up with burning hot desire at Pieck's seductive response. Without thinking, she leaned in, pressing her lips against Pieck's. She thought she heard a small gasp from the shorter woman, seemingly caught by surprise at the kiss, but not pulling away.

After a moment, the blonde pulled back, just as surprised with herself as Pieck was. Pieck stared hazily at the taller woman, still processing what had just taken place, not having expected such a clear response. Did Yelena really just kiss her?

Just then Yelena remembered she had still been holding Pieck's hand and promptly let go “s-sorry” she stuttered. She felt oddly embarrassed, an uncommon feeling for the charismatic blonde. She could feel her cheeks burning up again, anxious thoughts racing in her mind. She didn’t like feeling like this. She was always the one in control, never getting mixed up with messy feelings. She felt like if Pieck rejected her she would just die, and she hated that the shorter woman had so much control over her emotions.

Pieck leaned back in close, still holding eye contact with the blonde.

“Am I really so stunning that the great Yelena Stein is flustered from a single kiss?” Pieck said, straight faced and voice unwavering.

Yelena's brows furrowed, face contorting to a frown. Was Pieck seriously teasing her again?? What was that supposed to mean? Did she like it or not? What does she even say to that? And why did she find it so sexy. This woman always kept her on her toes and she hated (loved) it.

Pieck's face was so close now, Yelena could feel her breath.

“Did you like it?” Yelena asked as calm and indifferently as she could muster. Pieck had her wrapped around her finger, but she still tried her best not to show her cards.

Pieck looked up thoughtfully before her lips broke into a smile and her gaze returned to the blondes'. “You know, it was too brief to really tell. I need a second taste to give an appropriate review.”

Yelena swallowed, her mouth dry. This was definitely an invitation, she was sure of it. But where as earlier she reacted on impulse, now she was nervous. She hadn’t felt like this about a kiss since her first. However, despite her inner turmoil, Her body moved seemingly on its own; a hand caressing near the top of the shorter woman’s neck, fingers entwining in soft raven hair. Yelena leaned in closing the gap between the two women as her lips claimed their bounty, this time softer and more tender. As their lips touched, both women instinctively closed their eyes reveling in the feeling of one another.

Pieck rested a hand on Yelena’s chest, leaning into the kiss. After years of daydreaming about this very thing, she couldn’t believe it was actually happening. It felt better than she ever imagined it could. She could feel Yelena's slender fingers on her scalp, and it sent a thrill of excitement up her spine.

The two women broke briefly to catch their breath, but before Yelena had a chance to say anything, Pieck pulled her in for another passionate kiss. She opened her lips to invite the blonde’s tongue into her mouth, and when they finally touched a quiet moan escaped the raven haired woman’s throat. Their kisses became more fervent as their hands began to roam each other's bodies. 

Pieck enjoyed the feeling of the confident blondes tongue in her mouth, clearly very skilled in its movements. Pieck's mind wandered to what she’d imagined that tongue would feel like lower down, and she inhaled as a hungry fire lit in the pit of her stomach.

Yelena broke the kiss noticing the increasing neediness in Pieck's movements. She looked at the dark haired woman with an arrogant grin on her face, thankful to finally have the upper hand.

Yelena brushed Pieck's hair back with her long fingers, revealing a reddening ear. She leaned in to whisper hotly “Getting you going?” Before then moving her gaze down to the tantalizing pale skin of Pieck's neck that was begging to be graced with the touch of her lips. It took every ounce of will power for Yelena to pull away and look lustfully at the short woman before her.

Pieck's mind was jumbled, unable to form a cohesive thought as she looked back at the blonde. All she knew at that very moment was the desire to be consumed by the handsome woman. Now was the perfect chance to bed the tall woman, and she didn’t know that she would ever happen upon such a perfect opportunity again anytime soon. However, underneath all the lust and eagerness there was a quiet nagging voice deep in the back of her mind.

Could she really handle sleeping with Yelena to possibly be cast aside afterwards? Something in her heart ached at the thought. As much as she had wanted this, she didn’t trust the blonde wouldn’t throw her out like yesterday’s news. And as much as Pieck tried to tell herself otherwise, she wanted more from the blonde than a one night stand.

Maybe she would be different than the other women Yelena slept with. A dangerous thought process, Pieck realized. She hardly knew Yelena. What made her tick, what her soul yearned for, her hopes and fears. She was as elusive as the smoke off a cigarette. For all she knew, Yelena was just good at playing the game. And despite how much Pieck trusted her ability to read people, she had too much at stake with the blonde to trust her observations fully. She believed Yelena was sincere in her actions, but she understood the blonde was incredibly well versed at hiding her true thoughts and feelings. What if Pieck was wrong? 

But god did she want her and against Pieck’s better judgment she pulled Yelena back in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo boy, quite the cliff hanger to end it on! Sorry about that hahaha  
> I just really wanted to get the chapter out since it was taking so long. Now that I'm getting the flow of things again and have a clearer idea of where I wanna go with the next chapter HOPEFULLY it won't be such a long wait.  
> Comments are forever appreciated and keep me motivated <3 Please keep it up if you like what I do. 
> 
> Thanks again!!


	4. And Then We Had Sex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get hot and heavy. Then later we get a glimpse into Yelena's troubled past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is NSFW, 18+  
> The delicious smut everyone's been waiting for hahaha. I hope I don't disappoint!

As they became entangled in each other, Pieck felt herself being lowered back onto the couch by the handsome blonde. 

Yelena's lips found contact with the sensitive skin of Pieck’s neck. She hungrily kissed and nipped at the skin, slowly moving down towards Pieck’s elegant collarbone and eliciting sweet moans and tugs of the hair from the woman underneath her. 

As Yelena continued down, she ran a hand up to begin unbuttoning Pieck's pajama top, allowing more access to the skin and heaving breasts underneath. 

Yelena smirked with a quirk of her eyebrow “no bra?” 

Before Pieck could respond, Yelena licked a line up the valley of her breasts before moving over and taking a nipple into her eager mouth. Pieck gasped and sighed at the ministrations, running one hand thru the straw blonde hair of her lover while the other hand ventured lower to pull at Yelena's shirt. 

Pieck closed her eyes, enjoying the sucking and flicking of Yelena's tongue on her hardening nipple, getting lost in the sensation. She could feel Yelena's hand caress and thumb at her other nipple, attempting to give both breasts equal attention. 

Pieck swallowed, pushing Yelena up.

Yelena looked at the flushed woman underneath her with a puzzled expression on her face thinking maybe she was getting cold feet. 

“We should really go to my room” Pieck breathed. 

“Oh, right” for a moment Yelena had forgotten where they were.

The two women quickly tidied up, turning the movie off and headed upstairs, and before Pieck knew it, they were back in the same position on her bed, only this time her top was off and Yelena slotted a thigh between Pieck’s legs. 

The two began making out anew, and with the added pressure against Pieck’s womanhood she moaned into the mouth of her lover yearning for more. 

Pieck worked on unbuttoning Yelena’s shirt, fumbling a little before finally getting it undone and pushing the light fabric off the slender shoulders of the woman above her. She then undid the clasps of her bra, releasing Yelena’s breasts to the cold air of the room. 

Pieck pushed Yelena back, so she was sitting on her knees, to get a better look at the half naked blonde. Pieck caressed the bare sides of the elegant woman in front of her before running her hands up to Yelena’s breasts. They weren’t too large, maybe one would even consider them to be on the smaller side, but Pieck thought they were perfect, just large enough to fill her hands with warm, soft skin. Pieck gently massaged the two mounds, gaining a quiet gasp from the blonde before imitating her actions from earlier and thumbing at the nipples. Yelena seemed to enjoy that movement, because as soon as Pieck began, Yelena’s eyes firmly shut as quiet sounds of pleasure escaped her mouth. 

Yelena leaned forward, hands on either side of Pieck holding herself up and grasping at the bed sheets, shivering from Pieck's hand movements. Yelena cracked her eyes open before leaning down and roughly pressing her mouth against Pieck's, biting at her bottom lip. She was incredibly turned on by the other woman and had had enough of the gentle movements, ready to take it to the next step. Yelena rubbed her thigh against Pieck, who’s hands had made their way to the bare back of her lover, running up to the shoulder blades to grasp tightly. Pieck could feel thin uneven grooves of skin along Yelena’s back. 

_‘Scars?’_ she wondered before being pulled out of her thoughts by one of Yelena’s hands pushing her pants down, but leaving her underwear. She figured the scars would be an observation for another time as she turned her mind to focus on the task at hand. 

After Yelena discarded Pieck’s pants, she ran a hand up her exposed thigh before lightly dragging her fingertips along the sensitive skin close to her groin causing an eager shiver from her lover. Yelena hovered over her to hold eye contact as she pressed her hand against the covered mound. Pieck inhaled sharply at the sudden sensation, mouth agap, still holding onto the taller woman’s back as she tried not to break eye contact. Yelena then began massaging the covered sex of her lover, watching Pieck’s expressions. There was something beautiful about a woman in torturous ecstasy, Yelena thought. She could feel Pieck's juices seeping through her panties as the tall, commanding woman teased her through the fabric.

“Yelena, please” Pieck half begged, half moaned as she arched against the invading hand. Yelena smirked, feeling nails digging into her shoulder blades as the woman before her became increasingly unraveled by the second. 

Figuring Pieck had had enough teasing, Yelena removed the last piece of clothing that prevented her from claiming her prize. She then ran a slender finger up the slit of the wet nether region, before finding the button that would make all Pieck’s dreams come true. She began rubbing the throbbing nub in a slow rhythmic motion, evoking more delectable moans from it’s owner. As she kept up this motion, Yelena began kissing down Pieck's body, briefly stopping to suck at Pieck's nipples again before continuing lower. As her mouth got closer to it’s destination, Pieck’s hands found purchase on the back of Yelena’s head, fingers becoming entangled in the blonde hair. 

Yelena licked a trail of saliva up Pieck's aching core, curious to know how she tasted before slipping two fingers in and finally latching her lips on to where it mattered. A loud groan escaped Pieck’s mouth as she began rocking her hips against the blonde’s face, eager for release. Yelena could feel the throbbing around her fingers as she thrusted and sucked on the engorged clit, hitting all the right notes. Pieck’s climax rapidly built and it wasn't long before she was tipped over the edge, tightly grasping her lovers hair while moaning Yelena's name. 

After Pieck came, Yelena licked up the juices of her womanhood before sitting back and cleaning up the cum on her fingers. Yelena had tasted all sorts of women, but she decided Pieck was her favorite so far. 

Pieck ran a hand over her face as she came down from her high and caught her breath. 

“God that was amazing” she mumbled, mostly to herself. She had always imagined Yelena would be well versed in the ways of pleasing a woman, but she never imagined it to feel so astounding. 

“I aim to please” Yelena responded with a cocky grin, earning her a blush from the shorter woman. She then leaned down to plant an opened mouth kiss on Pieck's lips, who wrapped her arms around the tall beauty. 

“Mind if I return the favor?” Pieck asked seductively once they broke apart, pulling at the top of Yelena’s pants with a finger. Yelena inhaled sharply through her nose, immediately turned on by the offer. 

“Please do” She whispered hotly into Pieck’s ear, and with that the two women traded positions and Pieck set to work. 

It didn’t take long for Pieck to get the hang of pleasuring the slender woman beneath her. She simply focused on imitating a lot of the same movements Yelena had done to her earlier. However, she quickly learned of Yelena’s masochistic tendencies, as she seemed to react much more vibrantly to biting and rougher movements. And if Pieck was being honest, she quite enjoyed it. 

After leaving plenty of bite marks and bruises along Yelena’s body, she soon made her way to the sweet spot down below. Pieck was pleased with herself to be able to garner noises of pleasure from the usually reserved blonde as she lapped at her clit. It was the first time she knew for sure how Yelena was feeling. The meticulously well kept walls of composure had come crashing down in ecstasy, and it made Pieck feel powerful. 

Yelena's eyes had been clamped shut, focused on the mouth movements and intense pleasure caused by her lover. However, before she got too wound up Pieck stopped, much to Yelena’s obvious frustration. Yelena huffed looking down at Pieck who crawled her way back up the lanky blonde. She ran her hand along Yelena’s flushed face before grasping it gently and whispering “Let’s play a game.” 

“‘Scuse me?” Yelena said, a frown on her face much to Pieck’s amusement. 

“We’re going to play a game." Pieck leaned in, lips close to Yelena's ear "I’m going to suck you off, but you’re going to watch. And everytime you break eye contact, I stop.” Pieck said with a saucy grin as she took this opportunity to nibble at the skin where her lovers ear and neck met, garnering a quiet groan. As grumpy as Yelena was at the interruption, she had to admit the idea piqued her interest. 

“That’ll be easy enough” She responded arrogantly, shivering from Pieck's well placed bites. 

“We’ll see” Pieck teased as she made her way back down between Yelena’s legs.

Yelena scoffed as she propped her head up with a pillow to get an easier view of her lover. ‘ _Oh please, this will be a piece of cake,’_ She thought to herself, one arm behind her head and the other planted on Pieck's’ head, running her long fingers thru the long dark hair. 

Pieck continued where she left off, only this time staring into the dark orbs of Yelena’s eyes. As Yelena’s orgasm built, and the intense pleasure of Pieck's ministrations began to over take her, she soon forgot about the game they were playing, eyes rolling back as she tipped her head up from the pleasure. Pieck immediately pulled back which earned her a shudder and irritated moan from the blonde. 

“Easy, huh?” Pieck commented, earning a glare from the horny blonde. 

The game went on like this a few more times eliciting stronger reactions everytime Pieck pulled away as Yelena was being edged closer to climax. With every new start, Yelena found she was becoming increasingly sensitive to Pieck’s lips and the time between starting and stopping shortened. 

This time, as Yelena's orgasm quickly built, she propped herself up on her elbows staring intensely into the brunette's eyes, bound and determined not to break contact. However, she found the more she had to concentrate on maintaining eye contact the less mental power she had to focus on her noises of pleasure. Yelena was not usually loud in bed, but this time she couldn’t keep it in. She panted heavily, grasping at the sheets, her eyes half closed and brows furrowed as she stared lustfully into Pieck’s eyes. She could feel her entire body tingling with pleasure as her core began pulsating with her impending climax. And just like that, she was finally tipped over the edge. Yelena fell back, a hand moving to keep Pieck’s head in place as she arched her back and came explosively. 

She broke eye contact just as she climaxed, but this time Pieck continued her motions not wanting to ruin the blonde's orgasm. 

“Holy fuck” Yelena gasped as her body shook from the last jitters of her orgasm before pushing Pieck’s face away from her sensitive clit. Pieck smirked, moving down to lick up her reward as the final waves of pleasure left Yelena’s body. Once she was done, Pieck collapsed on her back beside Yelena, rubbing her jaw a bit. 

“Where did you learn that?” Yelena asked breathlessly. 

“Hm? I don’t know, must’ve read it somewhere…” Pieck responded with a grin. 

As the two women laid beside each other catching their breath, Yelena glanced over at the raven haired woman next to her. 

“It wouldn’t be possible to have a smoke in here, would it?” Yelena ventured.

“Go for it, just crack the window open and turn on the fan ontop my desk” Pieck responded, pointing across the room. Yelena nodded crawling out of bed to do just that. As she opened the window a cool draft wafted into the room. She then turned to her discarded pants to rummage thru the pockets for her smokes and lighter. 

“mind if I bum one off you?” Pieck asked, eyes tracking the naked blondes movements catching a glance at the thin scars along Yelena’s back.

“You smoke?” Yelena quirked an eyebrow glancing over at Pieck. The raven haired woman was just full of surprises it seemed. 

“Sometimes. They’re expensive though, so not often” Pieck chuckled.

“Of all reasons, I’m surprised THAT'S the one you go with” Yelena retorted, implying Pieck's dad's illness would make more sense. As she said this Pieck shrugged. 

“Smoking didn’t wreck my dad's lungs you know.” Pieck said casually which elicited a grunt from the blonde. 

Yelena crawled back into bed passing a cigarette to Pieck and lighting it for her before lighting her own. She laid on her side facing Pieck, one hand propping up her head. She took a puff of her smoke as she gazed down at the beautiful woman infront of her. And beautiful she was, as Yelena observed the pale, immaculate skin of her naked lover. 

Pieck took a drag of her smoke “do you mind grabbing the ashtray from my nightstand? It’s in the top drawer,” she gestured. Yelena nodded, turning behind her to grab the ashtray and placed it on the bed between them. They both flicked their ashes. 

As Pieck went to take another drag she looked into Yelena eyes. “You know, I’ve told you a lot about me, but I know next to nothing about you or your life outside of school.” 

Yelena scoffed “you think because we slept together you're entitled to my life story?” As she said this she took a drag. Her tone of voice was a bit harsher than she meant it to be. 

“What? Isn’t that how this works?” Pieck smirked “all those romance movies lied to me if that’s not the case.” Yelena's heart skipped a beat at how easily Pieck responded to her callous comment. She was all too used to hurting people's feelings when she didn’t gauge her words and actions appropriately. She had to admit, it was nice Pieck didn’t take offense so easily, often able to spin Yelena's harsher remarks with a humorous response. 

Pieck took another long drag of her cigarette, enjoying the burning sensation in her lungs before blowing the smoke up at the ceiling. When things were bad and her emotions were numb, the mild discomfort reminded her she was alive. And when things were good, well, the feeling grounded her. 

“You probably have one of those boring life stories. Rich white girl, perfect family with parents that loved you. Nothing ever went wrong” Pieck prodded, staring up at the ceiling with a smile. 

Yelena frowned, fully aware Pieck was baiting her but deciding to remain silent.

“I just want to know why. You act charming and pleasant on the outside, but that’s not who you really are, is it? There’s a meanness to you” Pieck was looking into the deep pits of Yelena's eyes now. “Is it because you care what others think of you?” Pieck inquired. ' _A meanness sprinkled with genuine kindness'_ Pieck thought, much more interesting than the fake front the blonde often put on. 

“You’ve got it wrong. “ Yelena responded. “It’s not that I care what others think of me. It’s that I know I can’t get anywhere in this world without a carefully fabricated mask. People like the comfort of a charming smile and pleasant voice. It's just the way it is. A beautiful lie over a painful truth, as they say."

Yelena took one last puff of her cigarette before finishing "It's also much harder to use people when you tell them how dull and boring they truly are.” As she spoke she stamped out the remaining embers of her cigarette in the ashtray.

Pieck chuckled a bit before agreeing “You’re not wrong,” as she said this she returned her gaze back up to the ceiling, watching the smoke of her burning cigarette dance in the air. “Though isn’t it arrogant to act as if all others are boring except yourself?” 

“Perhaps” Yelena said. 

“But there’s more to it than that. You’re barely yourself even around friends” Pieck continued. “It’s like you’re afraid nobody will accept you for who you are. Like you don’t trust anyone to get anywhere close to you. Isn’t it lonely?” Pieck glanced over at Yelena's face to gauge her reaction. 

Bingo. Pieck had hit the nail on the head. Yelena's face didn’t falter however. 

“Do you always play psychologist after bedding someone?” Yelena responded smugly. 

Pieck smiled, sure she was right. “Not always. Sometimes I take them out to dinner first.” 

Yelena chuckled in spite of herself. She really did feel fondly for the captivating woman next to her. If she could trust anyone… 

_‘no’_ she pushed that thought away. 

“You know, People like my dad don’t make it in this world” Pieck’s sad voice broke her thoughts. 

Yelena's eyes narrowed as Pieck continued. 

“He used to work in a fiber glass factory making all sorts of structures for buildings. He started there when he was 18 and clawed his way up the ladder to a senior management position. Everyone loved him. He got along with staff and bosses alike. He used to say it was his home away from home. A work family, you know? Some of those people even came to my mother’s funeral.” Pieck recounted somberly. As she spoke, she held her smoke infront of her to watch the remainder of it slowly burn away. 

“When he started getting sick and having to miss work for appointments.. well you see, the company didn’t like that. Those same people he considered friends, fired him, seemingly without a second thought. Despite all his years of service and loyalty to the company, a few sick days did him in. And because he was fired, he lost everything; his benefits, 25 years worth of pension. He begged them for mercy, to perhaps lay him off or something instead. But no, they had no problem giving him a death sentence. Devils in sheep clothing if you ask me.” Pieck grimaced.

“Later it came out that his illness was caused by damage to his lungs from constant exposure to the fiberglass in his younger years. But you know, back in his day, when he first started at the company there weren't so many safety regulations. And when you were at the bottom you just did what you were told with minimal regard for your safety. I guess he always believed the company would have his back if anything were to happen.” The raven haired woman scoffed. 

“When dad tried speaking with them again, explaining what the doctors had found, they said he had no way to prove it. And we had no money for a lawyer to fight the company for compensation. And they knew it.” 

Yelena listened intently. 

“My dad tried to play it off like the company has to look out for itself, it was nothing personal, etc. At first, I resented him for that. Always making excuses for a company that abandoned him when he needed them the most. For people that couldn’t be bothered to check if he was even still alive.” Pieck's voice was filled with bitterness. “He was too trusting and too ignorant. He believed too much in the goodness of people, and still does! Even to this day. It breaks my heart, you know?” 

As Pieck said this she looked over at Yelena, her smoke having burnt itself out. Yelena reached out to gently take the cigarette from Pieck. 

“People are terrible, aren’t they?” Yelena said as she dumped the cigarette into the ashtray and moved it onto Pieck's night stand before turning back to face the petite woman.

“Despite all that, I want to be like my dad and believe not everyone is that way. That there truly are good people, you know?” Pieck responded, evoking a sad smile from Yelena. 

“It’s a nice fantasy isn’t it?” She said, brushing some hair away from Pieck’s face before moving forward to steal a kiss. Yelena wasn’t good at comforting people, so she opted to do it the only way she knew how. 

Yelena caressed Pieck’s face as they lazily exchanged open mouthed kisses. Pieck was surprised at the tenderness and softness of Yelena’s movements. She didn’t think the blonde had it in her, if she was being perfectly honest. However, she found it incredibly endearing and was thankful for this small glimpse into her soul. 

As the two continued like this for awhile, things eventually began to heat up again, as they do when naked bodies exchange sweet nothings. The two women went for another round of sex before Yelena decided to call it a night. 

\------------------

It was just past midnight by the time Yelena made it home. She walked into the side door of her father’s mansion, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it.

Her room, if you could call it that, was off to one side of the house. It was more of a bachelor pad than a bedroom, harboring all the amenities a high end apartment would. It was so self sufficient Yelena rarely ever entered the main house unless she was visiting with her father, which in itself was rare. He was often away on business, sometimes only dropping by every couple weeks. 

Yelena didn’t mind, however. If she ever got really lonely, she could venture a chat with one of the cleaners or butlers in the main home. To be honest though, she couldn’t be bothered. And after she had turned 15 they didn’t bother much with her either. 

As Yelena stood there, she stared at the open space around her. As elegant as it was, it felt cold and empty. Nothing like the warmth she felt in Pieck’s quaint home. 

Off to her right was a large open concept kitchen, with granite counters, deep brown cupboards and a spacious island in the middle. 

To her left was an open space serving as the living room/recreational/study area. It was filled with a sectional couch, 70” tv, surround sound, a large neatly organized oak desk, bookcases filled with shelves, and still plenty of floor space to do cartwheels if someone really wanted to. 

There were stairs leading to an open loft above the living room, where her bedroom and ensuite bathroom were situated. There was a large custom sized bed with black bedding and a large claw footed bathtub in one room, then an ensuite bathroom/shower combo that featured temperature controlled floors in the other. 

The space had been customly designed to her taste for her 15th birthday. 

The house overall had a contemporary design, with large floor to ceiling windows all around. Yelena kept the shutters down on her part of the house however, not taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings outside. Something about being on the main floor with large windows made her feel uncomfortably vulnerable. 

Occasionally she opened the shutters upstairs in her bedroom, but even then that was rare and far between. A part of her preferred the darkness and unnaturally lit rooms. It made her feel a little safer, less exposed. 

As Yelena stood leaned back against the door she slowly slid down til she reached the floor. She sat there for a bit, listening to her anxiety ridden mind run circles around her. 

What was she doing? Pieck was dangerous. She was getting too close. If this kept up, she was leaving herself open to get hurt. 

But she really liked her. She felt Pieck understood her like few people could. Accepted her even. 

But for how long? Maybe this was some sick joke and the karma for all the women she’d slept with and people she’d used was coming back to haunt her. Maybe Pieck was playing her.

Yelena took an unsteady breath. She needed to calm down. Another unsteady breath. Her mind was screaming at her now, full panic mode starting to set in. 

Yelena closed her eyes and took another deep breath in through her nose. Her eyes began to well up with tears as she continued to try and focus on her breathing, begging herself to calm down. She laid down, curled up on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest and hoping the cold bite of the floor would pull her out. 

How long had it been now since she started getting panic attacks? 

—————----------

**Yelena aged 5**.

“Wow what a wonderful drawing!!” The woman exclaimed. 

“Do you know what it is??” Yelena asked eagerly. 

The woman’s face faltered slightly before venturing. “Uh. Mommy?” 

“Yes!! How did you know!?” Yelena exclaimed happily jumping up and down. “And this is me! And you’re hugging me!” Yelena smiled enthusiastically as she pointed at the stick figure scribbles. 

“Wow baby, that’s amazing! You should be an artist one day” her mom said, giving the child a hug. Yelena's heart swelled with warmth.

**Yelena aged 6.**

“Where are you going??” Yelena asked anxiously. 

“Mommy just has to go away for a bit. I’ll be back soon though, I promise!” The woman said, running her hand in Yelena's hair. 

“Can I come with you??” The child said hopeful.

“No, I'm sorry baby. But I’ll be back soon” the woman responded sadly. “Then we can play ALL day. Pinky Promise!” The woman smiled, holding out her hand, pinky sticking up. 

“Okay… pinky promise” Yelena said, sadly looking at the ground as she entwined her pinky with her mother’s.

And with that, the woman planted a kiss on her forehead before walking out the mansion door with her suitcase. 

**Yelena aged 8.**

It was a warm summer day as Yelena wandered the streets of Liberio. It was after school but she wasn’t ready to return home yet. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing that young woman of a nanny. She had a short temper that was quick to turn violent when Yelena was less than cooperative. 

But she swore that woman purposely did things to make her fail. Yelena frowned as she dragged a stick over the metal fence that surrounded the park, making an annoying clanging sound. 

She wasn’t even sure where she was at this point. She had just picked a direction and started walking, not terribly concerned with where she was going. She could get kidnapped for all she cared, if it meant she didn’t have to go home to that witch. 

Yelena scoffed turning to enter the fence opening. Maybe she’d play on the swing for a bit before walking some more. 

As she walked up to the playground, she noticed a woman there with another child, maybe half her age, playing by the slide. 

Yelena scoffed before she took her place on the swing. As she slowly began to sway and gain momentum, she watched the woman and child playing. 

Soon after, a man casually walked up to the woman. Yelena watched as the child slid down the slide to run towards him screaming daddy. He laughed, picking her up and carrying her. The woman chatted briefly with him before turning to walk towards a bench with their belongings as the man continue walking towards the parking lot with their daughter. 

“Gross” Yelena thought bitterly.

As the woman got closer to her, Yelena couldn’t tear her eyes away from the familiar face of the well dressed woman. 

_‘I know her!?’_

Yelena jumped off the swing, running towards the woman, heart pounding out of her chest. 

“Mom!?” Yelena stopped just a short distance from the woman.

She turned and looked at Yelena like she’d seen a ghost, and in that moment Yelena knew she was right. That tell tale sign of recognition in the woman's eyes flashed briefly before shadowing over with cold ignorance. 

“W-who are you?” The woman stuttered.

“What? It’s me! Yelena? Did you… get lost?” Yelena offered. Deep down Yelena had known otherwise, but there was always a small piece of her that justified her moms disappearance. Maybe she got lost? Maybe she forgot where she lived? Maybe she had no money to get home?? Maybe she had been kidnapped, as Yelena was often warned could happen to her. Her imagination had run wild with all the possibilities for why she hadn’t come back.

And it all came crashing down with reality.

“I don’t know you!” The woman yelled angrily. “Get away from me!!” 

Yelena stared wide eyed at the woman. She was shell shocked. She knew without a doubt this woman was her mother, in the way only a child could know. 

Just then the man had come running back, having heard the screaming. 

“This strange child is harassing me!” The woman shrieked. 

Yelena swallowed dryly, slowly backing away. 

“Are you lost little girl??” The man squatted down to eye level. 

Yelena's vision faded, darkness closing in as the voices washed away like water, sounding eons away. 

**Yelena aged 9**

“It’s okay dear. I don’t expect you to trust me all willy nilly. We’ve only just met!” The older woman smiled warmly at Yelena, who only offered a glare at her.

“I’ll just leave this on the table, and if you want it, when you’re ready, you can take it” the old woman placed the warm chocolate chip cookie down on a plate in the middle of the table before smiling again. 

' _Who does this woman think she is'_ Yelena thought bitterly, backing away.

**Yelena aged 11**

“How will we know when to pull the carrots??” Yelena asked as she stood bare foot in the garden with her pants rolled up to her knees. 

“You’ll actually see the tops of the carrots poking out of the dirt, believe it or not!” The old woman exclaimed as she pointed at the green sprouts. “Exciting, isn’t it?” She smiled.

Yelena nodded. “Oh! Granny there’s one by your foot!!” She pointed at the tiny prickly weed. 

“Good eye! I got this one” the old woman bent down, plucking the weed with her gloved hand and tossing it over the chicken wire fence. 

Even though this woman wasn’t really her grandma, Yelena felt if she had one, she would want it to be her. 

Yelena had explained to the old woman that calling her granny made more sense than nanny since she was so old, like a grandma. But really, Yelena just wanted to feel closer to her. And calling her granny made it easier to pretend they were actually related. 

It had been over a year now since granny had taken over for the last bitch of a nanny. Yelena had remembered it had been a rather explosive firing. It started with when her dad had found a bloody shirt in her dresser, which unraveled years of abuse she had endured. Yelena had always assumed he knew and didn’t care since he was sleeping with the woman.

Boy had she been wrong.

He lost it. Yelena had never seen him so angry before, on a total rampage. Yelena had actually feared for the young woman’s life. Cops had to be called. It was ugly. 

Afterwards he made her promise to tell him if anything like that ever happened again. She felt bad seeing him cry, a broken man. She insisted it wasn’t that bad but she would for sure tell him if it ever happened again. 

Granny came into her life shortly after. Yelena had hated her at first. Always so warm and friendly. What a weirdo, she had thought. But as time went on, Yelena began to accept the warm comfort this woman offered her. And it was nice. Safe even. 

Granny never got angry, even when Yelena was bad. At most, she would be disappointed.

Yelena hated that.

She’d almost prefer to be beaten than have granny be disappointed in her. It made her want to be the best she could be. She’d do anything to make her proud. Yelena would even venture to say she loved her, as she imagined kids loved their grandparents. 

Yelena was unlucky in the fact that her grandma had died before she was born, and her grandfather died when she was only 6. She hardly even remembered him, other than the awkward goodbye in the hospital room. 

“Well. Looks like we got all the weeds for today, wouldn’t you say little one?” The older woman said, hands on hips. Yelena looked around at the quaint vegetable garden before nodding her head. 

“Just in time for our favorite show too!” Granny smiled, climbing over the chicken wire fence to slip her sandals back on. 

“Yeah!!” Yelena threw her arms up in the air excitedly. 

Everyday at 5pm was tea time and Judge Jerry followed by Criminal Court. It was a tradition to watch it everyday. 

At first Granny had been concerned that Criminal Court was too adult for the young Yelena, but she insisted she could handle it. It featured real time criminal court cases of varying degrees. And even though Yelena didn’t understand all that went on, she understood enough that the good guys put the bad guys in jail. Recently, a new prosecutor had joined the show. An up and coming prodigy, Zeke Yeager, the boy wonder as he was called. He was only 23 but had already closed on some high profile court cases. He had finished high school at 16 and entered an accelerated law program directly after, graduating at 22. Yelena _adored_ him. 

Yelena quickly hoped out of the garden, running towards the house excitedly with granny following behind her. 

**Yelena aged 12.**

“Granny I’m home!!” Yelena yelled as she walked thru the front door of the mansion. It was eerily silent when she walked in. Something felt… off. _Strange._

She walked towards the kitchen. “Hello??” 

It was strange for Granny not to answer. Had she gone home early today? Yelena wondered. 

Just then as she stepped into the open concept kitchen, she saw it immediately.

The old woman was on the floor. Her face contorted in frozen agony. 

Unmoving. 

Lifeless. 

Yelena's breath caught in her throat, frozen in place. She stared wide eyed at the corpse on the ground, not able to process what was happening. The old woman looked like a doll. Empty eyes, staring at nothing. 

Her ears began ringing. 

Louder.

And louder. 

So loud it was deafening. 

And she couldn’t breathe. 

  
  
\-----------------------------

Yelena gasped as she sat up, greeted by the darkness of her room. When did she make it to bed? 

Yelena exhaled, rubbing her face with her hands. 

She hadn’t dreamt about _her_ in awhile. Yelena laid back down on the bed, as she tried to ease her racing heart with a few steady breaths. 

Her mind wandered back to that time...

Granny had died of a massive cardiac arrest. Atleast, that’s what the doctors had said. Supposedly she had died instantly but Yelena didn’t believe that. Not based off that face. Granny looked like she had suffered and it made Yelena's heart ache. How could someone so full of light, warmth and love, die so suddenly, alone and painfully? Yelena wondered.

Life was cruel. 

Yelena took a few breaths as she curled up on her side and glanced at her phone. 

3:14am. 

Yelena sighed. It was going to be another long night. 

  
\-------------

The next day, Yelena sat at the cafeteria table eating lunch with Onyakopon. She was exhausted after a night filled with terrors and broken sleep, however, this wasn’t entirely uncommon. She often suffered from insomnia. Yelena poked at her cafeteria noodles absentmindedly, somehow more burnt out than usual. 

“Is that a hickey on your neck?” The deep voice broke the silence of her mind. 

“Hm?” She looked up at the dark skinned man across the table from her. 

“Since when do you let one of your women leave a visible mark on you?” Onyankopon asked with humor in his voice. 

Yelena rubbed at her neck. “Guess I wasn’t on my A game last night” she responded absentmindedly. She was so in the heat of the moment last night, it hadn’t even occurred to her where Pieck was biting or how high up her neck it was. Yelena briefly wondered if she had done it on purpose. 

_Pieck._

Yelena looked out across the cafeteria trying to find the petite woman. She was able to pin point her group of friends way at the far end of the room, but she couldn’t see Pieck. 

Oh wait. 

She squinted. Pieck was there. Arms crossed infront of her with her head down on the table.

_Was she sleeping??_

Yelena furrowed her brow. Why would she be that tired?? It’s not like she left at an abnormally late time… right?

A pang of guilt struck her. Had she been inconsiderate of Pieck's sleep? 

Yelena looked back down at her food. She’d spent more time swirling it around the plate than actually eating anything. 

“Are you okay?” Onyankopon asked, concern apparent in his voice. It was unlike Yelena to be so zoned out. 

“Hm??” She glanced up at him again, not having heard what he said. 

“I’m worried about you.” 

Yelena scoffed. “Why?” 

“You're not really yourself today” Onyankopon said. "did something happen?" 

Yelena waved her hand. “I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep good last night is all.” 

“Are you sure?” 

This earned him a glare from the tall woman. She didn’t take kindly to being nagged. 

“You know if you ever need to talk” Onyankopon continued. 

“I’m fine, I said!” Yelena barked back, clenching her fist. What was it with people always wanting to talk. Onyankopon winced at the sudden outburst. 

“Well. I gotta get going to class.” He said, defeated, moving to get up. Yelena immediately regretted her snarky response. 

“W-wait!” Yelena reached out to grab his arm. Onyankopon looked at her with surprise. 

She sighed pulling her hand back. “Listen. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.” She put her head in her hands. “I know you just care” she mumbled before clasping her hands infront of her to look at him.

“I just. Don’t want to talk about it right now. Okay?” SHe said looking up at him hopefully. 

Onyankopon stared at her momentarily before nodding.

“No, Of course. That’s fine. Just know I’m here for you. If and when you’re ready to talk.” He affirmed. “But really, I do have to get to class” he chuckled. “Text me later” and with that he took his tray and was off. 

There was that anxiety again Yelena acknowledged, as she tipped her head down into her hands. 

Yelena took another deep breath before slowly blowing it out, grounding herself. 

_'Just get through the day._ ' She thought. 

And get through the day, she did. 

\-------------------------

She met up with Pieck again after school, as she usually did. And as they started walking Yelena tilted her head to get a good look at the smaller woman. 

“Why’re you so tired?” She finally asked. 

Pieck looked at her with a grimace. 

“I’m embarrassed” she said, covering her mouth with her hand and looking away. 

Yelena frowned. “Why?" Her face suddenly broke out in a cocky grin "Was I too much for you last night??” She teased. 

Pieck looked up at the tall blonde, flabbergasted. “No not at all!! You see. After you left and I locked the door, I crawled back into bed. But I heard a creaking sound. Like someone was walking around downstairs!” Pieck explained enthusiastically “I called out but no one answered. So I hid under the blankets telling myself I was hearing things. But then more creaks! And bangs!" as she said this she waved her arms. 

"I was so scared I couldn’t fall asleep. By the time I finally dozed off it must’ve been past 5” Pieck finished. 

“If you were so afraid to be alone, why didn’t you call me to come back!?” Yelena responded loudly. “I would’ve come” she said sheepishly.

“Really??” Pieck said surprised before sighing. “I just felt so ridiculous, I couldn’t!” Pieck held her cheeks as they flushed. She felt like a foolish child that was scared of the dark.

Yelena frowned with a quirk of her eyebrow. “Well yeah. It is. But if you were that scared...” 

Pieck looked up at the tall blonde with tired eyes before cracking a smile. 

“Don’t give me that face” Yelena could feel a blush forming on her cheeks as she looked forward. 

Just then Yelena stopped walking, gaining a curious look from her friend. 

The blonde reached a hand out to Pieck who, after a second, accepted, somewhat taken aback by the form of affection. 

As soon as Pieck grasped her hand, the blond turned around walking back towards the school with Pieck trailing behind her, now even more confused. 

“Um. Where are we going??” Pieck asked. 

“You’ll see” Yelena responded with a scowl on her face. 

As they quickly happened back upon the school, Yelena lead the raven haired woman to the student parking lot, then to a black sports car. 

“Get in.” She commanded. 

Pieck looked at the car, recognizing it from last night, then looking up at the blonde. 

“What?" Pieck asked. 

"You heard me" Yelena said.

Yelena stared at the car, mind churning. "Do you drive to school EVERY day??” Pieck questioned, as she began connecting the dots.

“Nevermind that, just get in. I’ll drive you home today.” Yelena said shaking her head. She then walked around, getting into the drivers seat. 

Pieck watched the tall woman enter the car before she did so herself, sitting down in the passenger's seat. She ogled the fancy interior of the sports car before looking back at Yelena. 

“Don’t” Yelena threatened with an irritable glare, already knowing what was coming.

“Every day???” Pieck asked again, bewildered. 

“Yes, okay! I drive to school every day! So what?” Yelena responded peevishly. 

Pieck stared at Yelena before turning her attention out the windshield as her mind chewed on this new information. ' _Everyday!?_ ' She thought. Yelena really did like her, didn’t she?? Pieck pondered as she finally realized how obvious it was, heart pounding in her chest with excitement. 

Yelena rolled her eyes before backing out of her parking spot and heading to Pieck's home. 

\----------------

Yelena pulled up, parking on the street infront of Pieck's house.

The young woman was clearly exhausted, because in the short drive home, Pieck had already passed out in the passenger seat, head back, snoring away.

Yelena looked over at the sleeping woman admiring how soundly she slept, not a care in the world. 

_'Beautiful'_ Yelena thought. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of Pieck's face before leaning forward and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"We're home" she whispered shaking Pieck's shoulder gently, causing the woman to startle awake. 

"Huh?" Pieck looked around, perplexed. 

"I think you need to go get some sleep" Yelena said gently with a smile. 

Pieck nodded leaning against Yelena for a moment. "soon" she murmured, closing her eyes again.

Yelena's heart swelled with affection, resting her head against Pieck's as they sat in comfortable silence, Pieck having dozed off again. Yelena closed her eyes briefly, listening to the soft sounds of Pieck's breath.

They sat like this for a bit before Yelena finally urged Pieck to go inside to get a proper sleep, to which Pieck agreed. 

Yelena watched as Pieck made it inside, before turning to drive away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what did you think of Yelena's backstory? It's something I agonized over since I started this fic TBH haha.  
> If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment! You're responses keep me motivated :)  
> Thanks so much <3


	5. If This isn't Love, Then What is it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pieck and Yelena get familiar with the more intimate side of their friendship.  
> Then later, Yelena runs into an old friend and Pieck attends a girls night slumber party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ymir and Historia make an appearance! Yay!  
> I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter and having different characters interact with each other. I think it made for some interesting dynamics and character building.  
> Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

As the days went on, Pieck and Yelena began to explore their new found friendship. When they thought no one was paying attention they’d exchange heated kisses or flirty touches, sneaking off to hidden areas of the school. 

“Is this where you take all your women?” Pieck had joked when Yelena showed her an abandoned classroom/storage area she had found some years earlier, garnering a playful nip at the neck from the tall blonde. 

Things had been going fairly well for the two, however, neither of them were brave enough to have the conversation of what _this_ was. 

Yelena was firmly in denial, telling herself they were nothing more than friends with benefits. This aided in staving off her building anxieties about the situation and her feelings for Pieck. It put all the complicated and unwanting feelings in a neat little box for her to carpenmentalize away into the deep recesses of her brain. And she quite liked it that way. 

Pieck, on the other hand, didn’t know what to think. She was simply afraid that if they spoke about it out loud, the dream would somehow end. And for now, she had resolved to simply enjoy it while she could and take it for what it was. 

\--------

Pieck was still working a fair bit in the evenings so today had been the first time, since that night, that Yelena had gone home with Pieck to ’study’ in her room. It started innocently enough, however the days leading up to this had left them both eager for more and it didn’t take long before they were lying beside each other on Pieck’s bed making out. 

Yelena caressed Pieck’s face, running a hand through her hair as she kissed her tenderly before things heated up and the innocent kisses and gentle touches devolved into tongues and heavy petting. Yelena pressed her body against the petite woman, wanting to feel as much of her as possible. This had been the longest stretch in quite some time that Yelena had gone without sex, usually spending time with a lover every other night. Since her night with Pieck tho, she wasn’t interested in sleeping with anyone else. Not that she would ever admit this however, not even to herself. 

Yelena pulled away briefly, breathing heavily as she looked into Pieck’s half lidded eyes, who quickly pulled her back in for another kiss. 

Yelena pulled back again “Aren’t you worried your dad’s gonna catch us?” Yelena asked quietly, a little anxious at the thought. 

“No. Unfortunately he can’t really make it up the stairs.” Pieck responded bluntly. _And honestly, even if he could, he’d probably be relieved to see I’m acting like a normal teenager._ Pieck thought off handedly.

Yelena wasn’t sure if she should feel grateful or sad for this fact. She didn’t have much time to mull over it however, before Pieck was pulling her back in for another kiss, pushing her tongue into the blonde’s mouth. Yelena closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling as their tongues battled for dominance before crawling on top of Pieck, pressing her body against hers. 

Yelena broke the kiss, moving her lips along Pieck’s neck, biting somewhat roughly and eliciting a quiet muffled moan.

It was true, Pieck’s dad couldn’t make it up the stairs, but that didn’t change the fact that he could still hear just fine and they needed to keep it down. 

Pieck tugged roughly at Yelena's hair as the blonde sucked a sensitive spot on her neck, aching for release. 

“Fuck me” she moaned quietly into Yelena’s ear earning a shiver from the blonde. 

“Are you sure you can keep it down?” Yelena teased. “Or should we go for a drive?” she murmured into Pieck’s ear before nibbling at her ear lobe. 

“I’ll be quiet,” Pieck said, pushing her hips up against Yelena eagerly. “Promise” 

Yelena grinned, moving a hand down to teasingly press against Pieck’s covered sex causing a gasp to escape the smaller woman’s mouth. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she said running her hands up Yelena's shirt and dragging her nails along her skin before pleading quietly. “Pleease, Yelena” 

Yelena inhaled sharply before roughly claiming Pieck’s lips. There was something about the way her name rolled off Pieck’s tongue, needily whimpering and clawing at her back that just drove Yelena wild. She slipped her hand under the top of Pieck’s skirt and panties, to run a finger along her eager clit. 

Pieck moaned into her lover's mouth at the sudden sensation, thrusting up against her fingers. _God she needed this._

Not one to deny a beautiful woman, Yelena began rubbing Pieck’s engorged nub, enjoying the sounds she was extracting from the beautiful woman beneath her, who was trying her best to keep quiet. 

Unfortunately for Pieck, it was a real struggle to keep her noises of pleasure down. She put a hand over her mouth, panting heavily and trying to muffle her sounds. Yelena again bit down and kissed the exposed neck of her lover, as her fingers worked on the sensitive clit. 

Pieck’s noises were getting a little too loud for her own good however, and Yelena opted to silence her with her mouth, feeling the moans vibrate into the back of her throat as Pieck’s climax began to build. 

Her hips thrusted rhythmically against the skilled fingers of her lover. Pieck could feel herself begin throbbing as she moaned into Yelena’s mouth, nails grating down the blonde’s slender back. 

Yelena felt incredibly aroused by Pieck, kissing her roughly then biting at Pieck’s lips and neck, unable to contain her own excitement. 

Just then Pieck ran a hand down and slipped it into Yelena's pants, gaining a surprised look from the blonde who stuttered with her own hand movements. She felt Pieck’s lips tug into a smirk, proud of herself for catching the blonde off guard.

Pieck began rubbing Yelena’s clit and it wasn’t long before both women were panting heavily and moaning quietly into each other. 

  
  


————

“You know, I had sex for the first time last night” the blonde girl said with an arrogant grin on her face.

“What!?” Onyankopon exclaimed, “Really!? What was it like?” his brow furrowed, “Wait, when did you get a girlfriend?”

Yelena scowled, “Girlfriend? No.” Shaking her head, “It’s nothing like that.” 

“What do you mean? It’s someone you care about though, right?”

Yelena stared blankly at her friend, like he was speaking a forgein dialect. 

“Hey, what I’m saying isn’t _that_ crazy! Didn’t you want your first time to be special?” 

This earned a grunt from the blonde, “No. Sex is sex. What difference does it make,” Yelena commented callously with a wave of her hand. 

“My dad says sex with someone you love is a totally different experience and worth the wait,” Onyankopon stated matter of factly as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s not! Anyone can have sex, but when it’s with someone you care about it elevates it to a whole new emotional level,” as he said this he gestured his hands in an upward motion. 

Yelena rolled her eyes, “Oh please.That’s some wishy washy romance movie crap.”

“It’s not! You’ll see one day” 

Yelena gave him an unconvinced look.

“Or not. Since your heart is _literally_ made of stone,” he retorted with a roll of his eyes.

——-

Pieck bit Yelena's shoulder hard in an attempt to silence herself during her climax, which Yelena then followed immediately after, burying her head into the pillow beside Pieck as she let out a muffled groan. 

The two women didn’t move as they attempted to catch their breath and listen for any indication that their noises gave them away. 

Pieck could hear the faint sound of the TV playing downstairs and felt safe they weren’t discovered. She let out an uneven breath, not realizing she had been holding it in the first place. 

The two women pulled their hands out of their respective places before Yelena rolled onto her side to lick the cum off. 

“Have I ever told you how good you taste?” Yelena said with a grin and seductive lick of her fingers, earning a blush from the smaller woman before leaning in to steal another kiss. Pieck briefly wondered if the charming blonde was like this with all the women she slept with, before quickly pushing the thought out of her mind. 

The two women laid in bed for a bit, enjoying each other's presence and regaining their composure before finally deciding to get up and continue with their studies and homework. It wasn’t long before the evening melted away. 

They studied late into the night, and the next time Yelena glanced up, the small woman was passed out asleep, head on the table. 

Yelena stared at the raven haired woman as she slept peacefully, admiring the serene look across her face. After a few moments she helped Pieck get into bed, tucking her in and turning off the lights before heading downstairs to leave. 

“Excuse me” 

Yelena looked over her shoulder to see the older man standing at the end of the hall near the kitchen. 

“Sorry to bother you… Yelena was it? Could you give me a hand before you go?”

Yelena nodded, walking up to Pieck’s father.

“I can’t get this darn lid off,” He grunted struggling with the jam jar. 

Yelena held out her hand with a smile, “A little late for a snack, no?” she teased. 

Pieck’s father chuckled a bit before finally handing her the jar, “Perhaps. Do you mind if I ask you something?” 

_*pop*_ the sound of the lid releasing vibrated into the room.

Yelena handed the jar back to the old man before responding coolly, “go for it.” _Did he actually hear us?_ Yelena wondered anxiously though maintaining a straight face.

“My daughter… You guys are close right? Is she-” he paused briefly as his breath caught in his throat. “Is she happy?” 

Yelena looked down at the man, for the first time getting a good look at him. He seemed so frail and small now. 

_Was she happy?_ Yelena wasn’t totally sure, if she was being honest. Pieck did a great job of feigning happiness. But was she _actually_ happy? Yelena’s eyes narrowed so briefly if you blinked you’d miss it. 

“I believe so,” she said finally, with a warm smile. Despite Yelena’s answer though, the weight did not appear to lift from the man’s shoulders. He simply nodded, averting his gaze to the ground.

“Thank you” he said simply, turning away.

Yelena felt a pang of guilt as she watched the man walk away. Maybe she should say more to ease the old man's burden? But she wasn’t even sure what to say. If Yelena were to answer honestly she'd say no. 

_Your daughter isn’t happy. How could she be? Who would be happy in a situation like this? She makes the most of it, but she’s drowning._

Yelena grimaced. _He knew,_ she was sure of it. But who was she to confirm it?

Yelena glanced over at the fridge seeing medical bills plastered all over the quaint door mixed in with bold letters of termination notices and a calendar with notes scribbled all over it. She took mental note of the medical bill before turning to leave. However, something tugged her back and she turned to face the old man again. 

“I think she makes the best of the situation. Things could be better, but she’s doing okay.” Yelena said. “You know, even the most loving and caring parents can’t protect their kids from everything. That doesn’t make you a failure. Sometimes people just get dealt a shitty hand in life.” 

“If nothing else, your daughter is incredibly resilient.” She finished quietly. 

The old man turned to look at the tall blonde silently, taken slightly aback by the honest answer. He nodded with a sad smile and with that, Yelena left, unsure if she had said the right thing. 

  
  


\-----------------

  
  


The next day Yelena left school alone. 

_I have some errands to run today, I won’t be able to walk home with you._ She had explained to PIeck. 

Her mind mulled over recent events as she drove silently to her destination, Liberio General Hospital. The building was large and clinical on the outside, not offering any more comfort inside with it’s bright fluorescent lights and dirty, scuffed up white walls. It was busy as one would expect, filled with people experiencing the best and worst days of their lives. 

Yelena made her way to a desk labeled Finance.

“Good afternoon, what can I help you with.” The woman on the other side of the bullet proof glass asked.

“Hello. I’d like to make a payment on an outstanding balance” Yelena said calmly, with an inviting smile. Yelena was what one would call a trust fund baby. If she wanted, she didn’t have to work a day in her life and would still never run out of money. After she turned 15 her father gave her access to her own bank account allowing her to spend it as she pleased, assuming her marks were good and she wasn’t spending it on drugs. Yelena always thought her father was somewhat naive for this fact. Lucky for him, she never had much interest in drugs. 

“What’s your name?”

“Oh no, it's not for me. It’s for a friend actually” Yelena explained simply. 

“Oh, ma’am I’m sorry we can’t-”

Yelena leaned onto the desk so she was eye level with the woman on the other side of the glass, “Listen, I know this isn’t a common occurrence, and the last thing I want to do is cause you any trouble.” She spoke evenly and confidently. 

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, I can’t just allow access to someone’s account that’s not a family member” The woman continued rambling on for a bit, but Yelena had stopped listening, feigning disinterest as she looked around at the office space behind the woman, chin on hand. As the woman began explaining patient privacy acts Yelena interjected. 

“You know, I was just thinking, this must be a terribly difficult job. People come here to you on the worst day of their lives, and what do you do? Stick them with unbearable amounts of medical debt. It must be soul crushing work honestly, watching any semblance of hope drain from people’s eyes. I have to admit, I admire people that have to do the difficult jobs, you know? You don’t get enough credit” Yelena said this while staring intensely into the woman's eyes. “and I can’t imagine you get paid much for this, what? A little more than minimum wage? A thankless low paying job to put the final nail in people’s coffin.” Yelena's voice got threateningly low, “I imagine I would have trouble sleeping at night, if I were you.”

“Uh-” The woman was at a loss for words. 

“Now listen. I’m not trying to make your job anymore difficult. But you see, my friends medical expenses are incredibly high, you know how it is with chronic illnesses I’m sure...” Yelena looked to the side briefly before continuing, “And I’m not asking to look at their information or anything of the sort, I just want to put down a payment to help out, spread some good will, you know? And if you could do that for me, it would be a _huge_ weight off my shoulders.”

“Well I-I suppose. If you’re just putting down a payment, that should be okay.” The woman said reluctantly. 

“If you could do that for me, that would be greatly appreciated.” Yelena said with a shark-like grin. 

\-------------------

  
  


Meet me at our secret spot in 5? (P) 12:05 pm

Yelena stood in the abandoned classroom, hands in pockets, leaning against a desk as she stared out the window waiting for Pieck. It was late October now and the trees had begun losing their leaves. She could see the football team practicing in the field, shouts and screams of excited teenagers vibrated through the cool fall air. 

Suddenly the door swung open to reveal the small raven haired woman, who quickly shut the door behind her. 

“You’re never going to believe this!!” Pieck exclaimed in a hushed voice. 

“Hm?” Yelena tilted her head to the side slightly as she turned to face the small woman. 

Pieck rummaged through her bag pulling out a ruffled piece of paper. “Look!!!” she held it in Yelena’s face who frowned, pulling away a bit. 

“I can’t see with you shaking it so close to my face you know.” 

“My dad’s medical bill!! It says 0!!!” 

“So you paid it off?” Yelena ventured.

“NO! That’s the strange thing! I went to put a payment down yesterday and they said there was no outstanding balance!! They printed it out for me. There's nothing!” Pieck’s voice became increasingly louder. She looked at the paper again still in disbelief. Yelena had never seen Pieck so animated before, like all the troubles of the world had vanished. 

Yelena came up behind Pieck to look over her shoulder at the sheet of paper. 

“How did that happen?” 

“They said I won a draw or something?? Some sort of hospital lottery?” Pieck looked up at Yelena confused. “Do you think I’ve been scammed?” 

Yelena looked down into Pieck’s eyes then at the sheet of the paper. “I doubt it. How would the hospital benefit from scamming you and paying off your debt. Doesn’t make sense” 

“I don’t know… You know what they say. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.. I mean. I never put my name into a draw or anything” Pieck mumbled. 

“Maybe one of the doctors took pity on you,” Yelena ventured, “entered your name in for you or something” 

Pieck glanced back up at Yelena. “You think so?”

“Sure, why not?” she responded with a shrug.

Pieck sighed looking back at the paper. “I suppose you're right. If it was a scam you think they would've said yesterday when they printed my balance.” 

Yelena nodded before leaning down and planting a tender kiss on Pieck’s neck. 

Pieck leaned back against Yelena's tall body. “I’m still in shock. I don’t even know how to feel or what to think. It feels like a dream... like reality is going to come crashing down any moment.” 

Yelena nodded before she spun Pieck around to face her, lifting her up easily onto a desk. The tall blonde rested both hands on either side of Pieck, leaning down to look her in the eyes, 

“Maybe you just got to enjoy the dream while you can then?” she said softly, leaning forward to steal Pieck’s lips with her own.

Pieck sighed into the kiss, bringing a hand up to run it through straw blonde hair.

“Perhaps you’re right” She said when they broke apart, glancing at the clock across the room. “Shit, I have to get to class,” the smaller woman hopped off the desk moving past the blonde. 

“See you after school?” She said over her shoulder with a smile. 

“Of course” Yelena responded, feeling her chest swell with warmth. And with that, Pieck left her alone with only her thoughts to keep her company.

Yelena hadn’t acknowledged it consciously yet, but she was completely smitten with the shorter woman. 

\------------

  
  


The following days it was clear a great weight had been lifted from the petite woman's shoulders. It was apparent in the way she walked, how she talked, even her eyes seemed to have a renewed light to them. She was still Pieck, but she lacked the usual exhaustion that usually plagued her very being.

Granted, paying off the medical debt Pieck’s family had accrued over recent years wasn’t going to take all their financial troubles away. And Yelena was sure there would be more medical expenses in the future, but for now, even if only for a short while, at least Pieck could have some peace of mind. Yelena had to admit, it was nice to see this other side of Pieck, a side not bogged down by a lifetime of stress and sadness, and it made her feelings for the short woman only grow. 

  
  


———-

“You see, ever since I met you I’ve felt this gravitation towards you. Like I just _had_ to get to know you. And the more I got to know you, the larger my feelings for you grew. And I think, if you just give me a chance, you might find you really like me too” the small woman looked up to Yelena, eyes filled with hope. 

It was late in the afternoon as the two women stood outside in the shadows of the school building, crisp fall air tingling their cheeks. 

_God_ Yelena hated this. She didn’t take pleasure in breaking girls’ hearts despite what some might think. She held her face straight, politely listening to the girl's confession before responding with her usual response.

“You seem like a lovely girl, really,” Yelena said with a kind smile, “However, I’m just not interested in dating at the moment. Forgive me,” bowing slightly. 

The girl nodded sadly “I understand”. She was crushed but she did her best to hide it before turning to leave. Situations like this were always awkward, but what could she do? She firmly believed it wasn't worth the trouble of getting involved with people at school, relationship or otherwise. 

Yelena watched the girl leave before turning to head towards the entrance of the school to follow her usual routine of walking home with Pieck.

Pieck was different, in Yelena's mind. She didn’t count as being involved with someone, as she never confessed anything to her. It wasn’t anything serious, it was just some casual sex with a friend. Yelena had herself completely convinced, failing to notice the double standard. 

“Still a heartbreaker as always I see” an arrogant feminine voice spoke out from a short distance. 

Yelena snapped her head to the side to see a tall -tho not as tall as her- slim, freckled woman, standing arms crossed in front of her with a cocky grin. _Ymir._

“This is a student’s only property, you know” she responded bluntly before walking up to the slightly shorter woman dressed in street clothes, “What are you doing here anyways,” she continued with a smirk. 

“Just came to pick up my girl,” as the slender woman said this, she thumbed at the old beater of a truck on the street.

“Aww, how thoughtful of you! I don’t need a ride though, I have my own,” Yelena responded with a smirk, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“Not for you, idiot!” 

“You wound me, love” Yelena held a hand to her heart, gaining an irritated roll of the eyes from her friend. 

“Like I’d ever date someone as insufferable as you.” She shot back, Her voice then softened “No, I’m here to pick up the love of my life, Historia Reiss! You’ve probably heard of her.” 

This evoked a scoff from the blonde, “Love of your life? And _please_. I have no idea who that is- oh wait” Yelena scratched her ear looking up as if she was remembering something “No wait, I DO remember that name. I think she confessed her undying love for me just last week actually.” 

Ymir glared at the tall blonde, unamused. 

“Too far?” Yelena responded with a cocky smirk. 

You wouldn’t know from their conversation, mannerisms or the obvious difference in social class via their contrasting wardrobes, but the two women were incredibly close friends. ‘Thicker than thieves’ Onyankopon once stated. They had been close since childhood, and even though Yelena would never say it out loud, she held a deep respect and admiration for the dark skinned woman. 

Yelena was no stranger to emotional trauma and rough upbringings, as she was sure many weren’t, but she wasn’t naive to her privilege. At least she had money and power to get to where she needed to be in life and a father that loved her in his own, albeit absent, way. She never had to face the hardships of going to sleep on an empty stomach, or on the cold, unforgiving, floor with little more than a blanket. She knew she would never have to experience clawing her way up from nothing just to get somewhere in life or to be looked down upon by strangers simply for existing. 

Ymir on the other hand, had all that and more. Growing up in the poverty stricken slums of Liberio, with a drunk for a mother that couldn’t give you the time of day, living off food stamps and government housing, and a father that skipped out before she was born. Despite this, she had a fire in her, determined to make something of her life and get out of the shithole she had been born into. She was quick witted, confident, tough, and though rough around the edges, she cared greatly about the people around her. When the world and circumstance should’ve broken her, she rose up to the challenge and Yelena found it awe inspiring. If she could give anybody the world, she would give it to Ymir. 

Yelena remembered the first time they met.

\-----------------

“Why are you crying?”

The voice called out from above, startling the young child. She had thought she was alone as she sat curled up in a tunnel attached to a play structure.

“None of your business!,” Yelena snarked back, eyes puffy and red. She looked up at the dark haired girl hanging upside down above her, suddenly embarrassed, “I’m not crying!!” 

“Looked like you were to me,” the girl said nonchalantly.

Yelena frowned before getting up to storm out of the plastic tunnel as she wiped her face. Who does this girl think she is? Obviously she wanted to be left alone. 

Ymir, not one to be frightened off by a little anger, hopped off her perch and followed along behind her. 

“You know, It’s weird to get caught crying like a baby and then act like you weren’t,” The young freckle skinned girl antagonized. “You should just own it.”

Yelena stopped in her tracks so suddenly Ymir nearly bumped into her. She glanced back over her shoulder with a frown. “What’s it to you, anyways. You’re the weird one.” 

“Maybe,” Ymir shrugged, unbothered by the accusation, “I was just looking for someone to play soccer with and you happen to be the only one here. Interested? Once you're done crying that is” she said with a teasing, smirk. 

Yelena quirked an eyebrow, contemplating the offer in her mind. ‘ _What a strange person’_ she thought, before slowly nodding. She was lonely after all, and maybe it would be nice to have someone to play with. 

“Excellent! Name’s Ymir by the way!” She said with a big grin offering up her hand. Yelena turned around to face her. 

“Yelena.” 

———-

“So how long have you been seeing this girl?” Yelena asked, before pulling out a smoke only to remember where she was and promptly put it back in her pocket with a frown. Her smoking habit definitely increased anytime she hung around the freckled young women, despite Ymir having recently quit. It was just habit at this point. 

Yelena had some time before meeting up with Pieck so she figured she might as well catch up with one of her favorite people. 

“A little over a month” 

Yelena furrowed a brow skeptically, “the love of your life…?” 

“Hey what can I say. When you know, you know” Ymir shrugged nonchalantly. She was always like this, unapologetically straightforward and sometimes brutally honest. Life was too short to be anything else, she had once said. 

Yelena, however, was unconvinced. Ymir had been just as promiscuous as her in the past, and the thought that one girl could change the tough woman’s ways in a month was unimaginable to her. 

“Wait a minute,” She said narrowing her eyes, the gears in her mind turning, “is she the reason you suddenly quit smoking?” 

It was true, a week ago, Yelena had attempted to pawn off some of the exuberant amount of cigarettes she had purchased from Pieck, only for Ymir to reject her offer. 

Ymir glanced away with a shy smirk, “Yeah...”

“And you didn’t say anything about this girl then!?” a slight agitation was apparent in Yelena’s voice. She had been hanging out with Ymir fairly often in recent weeks, and never had she mentioned Historia. Yelena couldn't help but feel a little bit offended. 

“Ymir!!” A cute squeak broke their conversation. 

Both women turned to see a short, blonde haired, blue eyed beauty jogging towards them. 

“Hey babe,” Ymir said, her face lighting up instantly as she reached her arms out.

“Hi!” Historia exclaimed, gaining a big hug from Ymir. Historia glanced over at the tall blonde next to them, as they separated a bit, “Who’s this?” 

“Oh, no one important,” Ymir said with a teasing grin, keeping an arm around Historia’s shoulder while gaining an unamused look from Yelena.

“Yelena” the tall woman said as she held out a hand.

“Historia” the small woman responded with a firm shake, “Are you a friend of Ymir’s?”

“Believe it or not” Yelena said before glancing at her phone, “Ah, I have to get going”

“So soon?” Ymir said, the slightest hint of disappointment in her voice. 

“I’m a very busy woman, you know. Places to go, People to see,” Yelena lamented as she turned and began to walk away. “See yo-”

“Oh wait! Let me give you my number” Ymir let go of Historia briefly to run up to Yelena before she got too far. 

Yelena quirked an eyebrow as she turned towards her, “When did you get a phone?” 

“Just got it today actually, here.” Ymir passed a piece of paper with her number scribbled on it. She wouldn’t outright say it, but part of the reason she offered to pick up Historia today was to find Yelena and give her her number. 

“I’ll cherish it forever” Yelena kissed the piece of paper before looking at Ymir with a bratty smirk, who in turn gave her another irritated roll of the eyes. Few things brought Yelena as much joy as teasing the dark skinned woman. 

And with that, the two parted ways. 

\---------

  
  


It was Saturday evening, Pieck had the night off and had been invited out to Hitch’s place for drinks and a sleepover along with Annie and a new friend of Hitch’s named Historia. 

Hitch had met Historia in her commercial baking class, having been partnered up for a project and becoming fast friends. 

“It’ll be a girl’s night!” Hitch had said excitedly about the invitation.

Pieck figured it sounded like fun, and it _had_ been awhile since she'd been out with her friends. So she happily agreed to go. 

However, she always felt a tad bit nervous leaving her dad alone overnight, but assured herself that he had her number in case anything came up. And after packing an overnight bag with PJs, and a change of clothes for the next day, she was off with a quick goodbye to her dad, before hoping on a bus to Hitch's place. 

Hitch’s family was fairly well off, owning a massive home in the nice part of town. Not quite a mansion but definitely gorgeous and luxurious in its own right, housing a swimming pool, 4 seasons sunroom with hot tub, and a beautiful deck that reached out into a massive and well landscaped backyard. The home was made up of two storeys and a fully finished entertainment area in the basement. 

Hitch’s room was on the second floor and of a comfortable size, large enough for a queen sized bed with a nightstand on either side, a vanity, and a large tea table at the foot of the bed, with plenty of floor space to spread out a few futons for her guests.

Hitch’s room was usually quite messy. If you ever caught her by surprise for a visit, her room would often be littered with clothes, make up and school notes. She had a terrible habit of pulling something out to use and not putting it away, much to her mom’s frustrations. However, if Hitch was prepared she was always sure to have it tidied up before company came over. 

The four of them sat at the tea table huddled up under a Kotatsu as they excitedly chattered about various topics while sharing alcoholic beverages -which Hitch had snuck from her parents cupboard-. 

“Armin’s still incredibly shy. We’ve barely even kissed” 

“Seriously!? You guys have been dating for nearly half a year already!!” Hitch exclaimed, “Marlow and I barely made it a month before doing the deed, if you know what I mean” 

“That’s unsurprising,” Annie remarked, gaining a glare from Hitch. 

“Hey what’s that supposed to mean! Women have needs you know,” she smirked before joking “well maybe you don't but...” 

“I think it’s sweet he’s taking it slow,” Historia spoke up, “he must really, really like you and not wanna mess it up.” 

Hitch rolled her eyes at this sentiment before asking, “Well how long was it before you and Ymir started having sex” 

Historia’s face turned bright red as she stuttered, “well. Uh. I dunno I wasn’t really paying attention” she swept some hair behind her ear looking away. 

A laugh bellowed out from Hitch, “OMG you’re a little deviant too!!” Hitch enjoyed this, having previously perceived Historia to be this sweet, innocent, little angel. It was nice to know she was just as down and dirty as the rest of them despite her carefully fabricated outward appearance. 

“Hey! Women have needs!” Historia shot back, echoing Hitch’s previous statement, becoming a bit more vibrant much to Hitch’s amusement. Hitch greatly enjoyed gaining reactions from those around her, especially people that generally appeared quiet and reserved. 

“What’s it like sleeping with a woman anyways? I can’t imagine it’s as fulfilling as having a raging hard cock shoved up your pussy” As Hitch said this she gestured with her arm gaining a roll of the eyes from Annie. 

“You make it sound like Marlow has SO much to offer,” Annie quipped. 

“It’s not about the size, it’s how you use it!” Hitch shot back. She could be a bit obnoxious and vulgar when she drank. 

“Do you have a picture of your girlfriend?” Pieck asked, deviating the conversation to something a little more PG. 

“I do!” Historia exclaimed, pulling out her phone to show Pieck. 

“She’s pretty,” Pieck responded before offering Historia a smile. 

“Isn’t she?? She has these cute freckles all over her body and I just adore them” Historia was gushing now, much to the other women’s amusement. 

“What about you and Yelena?” Hitch commented, steering the conversation to Pieck. 

“Hm?” Pieck tried to feign ignorance having told no one about her recent escapades with the handsome blonde. _Fuck._

“Yelena?” Historia asked, remembering back to Ymir’s charming friend from the other day. 

“Yeah! Pieck has had a thing for her since we started high school,” Hitch spoke matter of factly, “and it seems she’s taken a notice in her lately too” as Hitch said this, she raised her eyebrows teasingly while looking at Pieck. 

Pieck furrowed her eyebrows with a smile, “I’m not sure what you mean.” 

“Oh cmon! Isn’t it obvious?? We’ve seen the way she’s been looking at you,” as Hitch said this she scooched up close to Pieck, putting her hands on her shoulders and whispering into her ear, “The sudden disappearances to the ‘bathroom’, the way you look at your phone. The way you think you're so sneaky.” Despite Pieck’s best efforts, she could feel her cheeks begin to flush unsure if Hitch was being serious or just trying to get a rise out of her. 

“I think you’ve had too much to drink Hitch,” Annie piped up in an attempt to take the heat off the small raven haired woman. 

“Have not! I just want to live vicariously through Pieck is all. If I were to ever have sex with a woman, it would be that handsome devil Yelena,” Hitch said passionately. “I bet she really knows how to make a woman cum. Marlow could learn a thing or two from her!” 

The girls erupted in laughter. 

“Welll Yelena _IS_ good, I will admit,” Pieck said offhandedly gaining an explosive reaction from Hitch. 

Hitch squealed, shaking Pieck harder as the dark haired woman laughed, “I KNEW IT!! Tell me everything!” 

Pieck greatly enjoyed how lively Hitch could get about certain topics. 

“I don’t kiss and tell,” Pieck finally said with a smile. 

“Aw you’re no fun,” Hitch complained before returning back to her seat and pouring herself another drink. 

Despite all the commotion and laughter, Historia remained somewhat quiet, thinking back to her conversation with Ymir from the other day, after the tall blonde had left.

——————

“Onyankopon says she’s been acting strange lately,” Ymir had commented. 

“Strange how?” 

“He didn’t really elaborate, just said _strange_. Distracted or something,” Ymir scratched the back of her head, a look of concern on her face as the two got into her truck. This had been the first time Historia had seen Ymir so serious and it made her heart ache to see the generally upbeat and charismatic woman bogged down with worry. 

Ymir had been friends with Yelena longer, but Onyankopon was considerably more perceptive to the blonde’s mannerisms and changes of mood, so Ymir took him seriously when he said something was off. 

Despite Ymir and Yelena being so close, the two women rarely ever spoke of their emotions or the things that bothered them. They both found those sorts of conversations incredibly uncomfortable, avoiding them when possible. 

Ymir did worry about her though, especially after the death of Yelena’s beloved nanny. 

Something had changed in the blonde that day, like her mind had permanently fractured from the loss, and yet, she refused to speak of it to anyone. Ymir hadn’t seen her cry after that, not even at the funeral. 

She had heard Yelena's dad hired some of the best therapists and child psychologists in the country in an attempt to get her to work through the trauma, but the blonde completely refused to speak about it with anyone, eventually lashing out with anger. 

_“What is it with everyone wanting to TALK?! I don’t. want. to talk. there’s nothing to talk about. She’s dead! Gone! Never coming back! And talking about it isn’t going to change that!!”_

After the outburst, she soon shut down again, responding with indifference to everything and everyone until they finally left her alone. 

Ymir didn’t know what to do, so she simply did her best to maintain some sense of normalcy, hanging out with Yelena and joking with her as they normally did. And as time passed, Yelena began to return to her usual. albeit somewhat closed off, self. 

Yelena had become colder and emotionally detached since, never having seemed to fully recover or heal from the traumatic experience. It was a touchy subject however, and both her and Onyankopon knew better than to try bringing it up.

So instead, they agreed to simply keep an eye on the blonde and be there for her if she ever decided she was ready to open up about all the things she never spoke about.

\--------

  
  


“Historia?” 

“Hm?” the petite blonde was brought back to reality, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

“Do you want to watch a scary movie?” Hitch asked again. 

“Hitch is a wimp, it’s great seeing her freak out” Annie joked with a smirk, which earned her a solid punch on the arm from the other woman. 

“I am _not_ ” 

“Was that supposed to hurt? Flies hit harder” 

As the two began to bicker, Historia looked across the table, locking eyes with Pieck, who had a look of contemplation on her face as she stared back. 

Historia’s mind began to ponder the relationship Yelena had with the raven haired woman. She was unsure if Pieck had been joking earlier just to get a rise out of Hitch or if she was serious about sleeping with Yelena. Historia found the raven haired woman incredibly difficult to read but something gnawed at the back of her mind, whispering everything she had said was true.

And Pieck seemed to be aware Historia was onto her. 

“Sure,” she finally said, breaking eye contact with Pieck, "What movie do you guys want to watch?" 

  
  


\--------- 

  
  


_Maybe she likes someone?_ Historia’s words echoed in Ymir’s mind as she stared at the woman across the counter from her, a look of contemplative confusion on her face as her brain struggled to put the pieces of the puzzle together. _Holy Shit._

Pieck tilted her head a bit, unsure if the other woman had heard her. 

“....yes” Ymir finally said before continuing slowly, “Historia is my girlfriend.” 

“You guys are cute. She seems to think quite fondly of you” Pieck continued with a warm smile, “do you want a bag?” She gestured at the pop and chips on the counter. 

It was Monday evening now and it had been the first time Ymir had noticed the new woman working at the convenience store down the street from her. She had been here plenty of times since Pieck had begun picking up shifts, but Ymir never paid much attention to the young woman. However, after the girls slumber party, Historia told Ymir about Pieck, and her theory of what could be making the tall blonde act so strangely.

Ymir had scoffed at the idea. In all the years she had known the handsome blonde, she had _never_ known her to be hung up on a woman. Apart of Ymir believed Yelena's ability to love had died with her granny that day, so many years ago. 

But as she stood there, in the brightly illuminating lights of the convenience store, it was all starting to make sense.

First, Ymir had noticed the name tag. _Pieck._ Then when Pieck had asked her about Historia the pieces started to fall into place. This was the same girl Historia had been talking about. Ymir started thinking back to how Yelena had been visiting a lot more in recent weeks, how she had chalked it up to Yelena just being bored or lonely, knowing the blonde often struggled with insomnia. But what if Historia was onto something, and the blonde had just been using that as an excuse to be in the area to visit Pieck. It made sense, Ymir thought. _Maybe she was acting strange because she was lovesick?_

“How often do you see Yelena come in here?” Ymir inquired, ignoring Pieck’s question. 

Pieck raised an eyebrow at the strange response, unsure how to answer.

“Everyday I work she usually stops by for smokes,” Pieck responded plainly, holding a straight face. Oddly enough, it hadn’t even occurred to her that Ymir could be talking about a different Yelena. 

Ymir’s eye visibly twitched as she thought back to the bag of smokes Yelena had previously tried to pawn off on her. 

_‘I was cleaning the other day and found all these in my room. I didn’t realize I had so many’_ The tall blonde had said nonchalantly. 

‘ _That bitch lied to me!’_ Ymir screamed mentally as she realized where the smokes came from, and all the subtle things she had previously ignored because Yelena couldn't just be honest and speak up about what was going on her mind. 

“Is something wrong?”

Ymir shook her head, “I have to go.”

With that, she spun on her heel to leave. 

Pieck reached out a hand, “Don’t forget-” but Ymir was gone before Pieck could finish.

“-your stuff…” she trailed off with a sigh as she dropped her arm.

_'What a strange encounter,'_ Pieck thought, looking down at the items Ymir had left behind not sure what to do with them. 

She was sure Historia must have said something about her and Yelena to the tall beauty, however, she was unsure what that would mean for her relationship with Yelena. Was she going to be upset that people knew of their dalliances? 

And how did the two know each other?

Yelena had never mentioned anyone named Ymir before.

But then again, Yelena never mentioned _anyone_ or _anything_ to her. 

Pieck suddenly felt a bubble of frustration begin to burn in her stomach. For the first time since she had met Yelena, she began to feel irritated by the secretive nature of the woman, as a painful ache began to fester in her heart. 

_Was it always going to be this way?_

_Just what_ **_was_ ** _she to Yelena?_

It began to bother her more and more, as Yelena’s actions didn’t match up. She was often quiet and aloof, unforthcoming with any information about herself or her life, but then also incredibly affectionate and caring towards Pieck in other ways. She didn’t really understand what it all meant. 

_Was she naive to believe she was anything special to Yelena?_

She had to admit, she didn’t really know Yelena any better now than she did two months ago. 

And that realization hurt. 

What did _she_ want from Yelena?

Friendship? A relationship? Sex? 

She had continuously asked herself this since they met, and it felt like she was running circles in her mind trying to convince herself otherwise. Pieck furrowed her brow sadly. She knew the answer but she didn’t want to admit it, knowing the pain it would bring when they would finally have to have _that_ conversation. She was positive Yelena would disappear the moment the prospects of a relationship came up and that hurt more than the secrets. 

But they couldn’t keep going like this forever either. 

Pieck sighed sadly, unsure of what the future would bring. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Fun fact, Ymir meets Yelena shortly after her unfortunate encounter with her bio mother -hence why she was crying-. 
> 
> I got the idea of Ymir and Yelena being friends from Skylikesspace's headcanon post on here. It was an interesting thought, and the more I mulled it over the more I liked it. They were fun to write interacting together. Anyways, let me know what you think! 
> 
> As always, comments are greatly, greatly appreciated. It keeps me motivated and lets me know you're enjoying the story!  
> Don't be shy friends <3


	6. Storms Brewing Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pieck and Yelena struggle with their feelings for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to be a lot longer. But then I thought maybe it would be better to have smaller bite sized pieces in case people don't have time to read a lot in one sitting, ya know?

* * *

Yelena nearly jumped out of her skin by a loud barrage of banging on her door.

_‘Ymir_ .’ She thought irritably, knowing she was the only one brazen enough to show up unannounced at this time of night to give her a heart attack, ’ _The least she could do is text first.’_ Yelena thought with a roll of her eyes.

The banging continued and with that, she got up from her desk to answer knowing full well Ymir wouldn't quit til she did. However, Yelena thought wisely to open the door only a crack on the off chance it wasn’t Ymir and instead, a burglar of some sort. Unlikely but not impossible. 

“What good is having a phone if you don’t use it?” Yelena quipped as she peeked through the crack. 

“Let me in! I have a bone to pick with you!” Ymir complained as she pushed against the door to no avail. Yelena was sure to have her foot jammed against the bottom to prevent it from being forced open. ' _Nice Try.'_ ' Yelena thought.

“No. I’m busy.” she responded.

“Busy my ass. Let me in now!” 

Yelena tried to close the door but Ymir had managed to squish her foot into the crack. 

“Are you serious right now? How old are you!?” Yelena grunted, trying to kick Ymir’s foot out.

The two fought like siblings, which was to be expected after having known each other for so long, their lives so intertwined with one anothers. When they were growing up, it wasn’t uncommon for Ymir to show up unannounced, especially when her mom was on a particularly bad bender. And Yelena always welcomed her in, eager for a playmate and companion. The blonde had always had trouble making friends, even as a child, due to her bizarre interests and arrogant, often times mean, attitude and short temper. As she got older, she learned to control those aspects of herself better, which she figured had something to do in part with Ymir's naturally charismatic behavior. 

The two struggled, eventually Ymir winning out and getting through the door much to Yelena’s dismay.

“HA HA I still got it!!” She yelled triumphantly, arms raised to the ceiling like she just won a gold medal at the Olympics. 

Yelena crossed her arms irritably. She hated losing, which was enough to get her panties in a knot, on top of the unexpected company, “What do you want?” 

Ymir suddenly recalled why she was there, “Oh! Hey I’m pissed off with you!” she spun around walking up to the tall blonde who gave her an angry but questioning look.

“You never told me you were interested in a girl!” 

“What are you talking about?”

“Pieck Finger” 

The change in Yelena’s facial expression at that name was so subtle, it could’ve easily been missed. But Ymir knew Yelena better than anyone and caught the flash of surprise in her eyes. 

“Ah ha! I knew it!” Ymir pointed, causing Yelena to scowl and swat her hand away. 

“It’s rude to point” 

“Who is she to you?” 

Yelena grunted in response.

“You have feelings for her, don’t you?”

“She’s just someone I have sex with. Since when do you care so much” Yelena responded angrily with a shrug, sitting back at her desk to continue what she was doing before Ymir interrupted her. 

“Bullshit. You’ve never put in so much effort just to sleep with someone.” 

Yelena rolled her eyes, “What? Since when did you become such an expert in my life.”

“The smokes?” Ymir said, sitting on the edge of her desk and bending down to get a good look at Yelena’s face. 

“You’re getting on my nerves”

“And YOU'RE evading,” Ymir responded before continuing with over dramatized gestures of sadness, “I’m hurt, honestly. I thought I would’ve been the first to know the minute you caught feelings for a girl” 

“I DON’T have feelings for her. She’s just a girl that I have sex with.” Yelena repeated sharply. 

“Is that so…?” Ymir squinted her eyes, “so you wouldn’t mind if I slept with her?” 

“Nope.” Yelena responded so coolly she almost believed it herself, as she absentmindedly scrolled through a webpage on her laptop. She had been reading up on Zeke’s recent court case before Ymir showed up. 

Ymir tilted her head, staring at the blonde who was clearly ignoring her now. She had her suspicions but wasn’t sure how to get Yelena to admit it. Was she actually that in denial? Or had Ymir misunderstood. She began doubting herself, if only slightly. 

“And anyways. Who are you to lecture me about who I sleep with or have feelings for? I seem to recall a recent conversation where you failed to tell me you had a girlfriend for the past month” Yelena bit back bitterly. 

Ymir sighed sitting up straight, “You got me there.”

“Now get lost,” Yelena grumbled, her face contorted with anger. 

“Are you actually mad I didn’t tell you about Historia sooner?” Ymir asked, putting her face between Yelena’s and her computer. 

Yelena quirked an eyebrow, “Guilty conscience much?” 

“Maybe a smidge” Ymir responded, sitting up again, “That was an asshole move, wasn’t it?” 

Yelena shrugged.

“Do you really not have any feelings for that girl?” Ymir prodded, gaining an exasperated sigh from the blonde. 

“No, Mother. Can you stop bothering me now?” she responded sarcastically. 

“Hmph.” Ymir didn’t believe her. But Yelena wasn’t budging on the issue and Ymir knew forcing the matter wouldn’t get her to admit anything any sooner. She hopped off the desk. “Well, some of us have to work in the morning, so I’m peacing out. Ciao” 

_‘I never asked for your company in the first place’_ Yelena thought with a furrowed brow.

And as quickly as the freckled skinned woman came, she was gone. 

—————-

The next day Yelena was in a foul mood, replaying the conversation with Ymir in her head over and over again. She didn’t know why, but it irritated her -like incessant banging on a door that was locked and boarded shut-. 

What was her problem anyways? None of it was any of that woman's business.

Yelena sat at her desk staring out the window as her mind wandered. 

It was just sex, wasn’t it? 

Sure she liked Pieck, but just as a friend. 

Right? 

She could feel her heart racing again, the anxiety in her chest building. 

_‘Damnit Ymir. Why’d you have to go poking around where you don’t belong’_

She rubbed her face with her hands, sighing. Just when she thought she had things under control. 

————-

  
  


Pieck passed the chips and pop to Hitch, “can you make sure these get to Historia? They’re Ymir’s”

Hitch gave Pieck a quizzical look. 

“Don’t ask,” Pieck sighed, shaking her head. 

“Man, you look like shit today” Floch piped up as Pieck settled into her seat before class started. 

“What’s your problem!?” Hitch snapped at the red haired man. 

“Woah woah woah, I didn’t mean it like that.” Floch waved his hands in front of him, “what I meant was, are you okay?” 

“Just didn’t sleep great last night,” Pieck responded simply, not taking offense to Floch's earlier comment. Pieck’s mind had been swirling with thoughts of Ymir and Yelena last night, that, by the time she got home from work, she couldn’t seem to relax or fend off her building anxiety. 

She felt silly for being so bothered by it. Of course Yelena had a life and friends outside of the small world Pieck knew about. However, she supposed she had thought -or hoped- she would be welcomed into that world at some point, and maybe that’s what bothered her most. What was the difference between her and any other girl Yelena slept with? 

She unintentionally let out a sigh, earning a worried look from Hitch. 

\--------

  
  


After class, Yelena and Pieck followed their usual routine of walking together, however, neither seemed to be much in the mood for chatting, so after some idle small talk they walked in silence. Pieck _wanted_ to ask her about Ymir, but didn’t know how to bring it up without it seeming out of the blue and intrusive. She also figured there wouldn’t be much point as the blonde would probably evade the question regardless. 

Yelena had previously agreed to come over for the evening and not one to flake out on plans, she tagged along despite her less than stellar mood. Pieck felt similarly and despite being grumpy, didn’t mind the company. She was still feeling a bit frustrated with Yelena, however, she couldn’t help but also take some comfort in her presence. 

After arriving in Pieck’s room, it wasn’t long before things devolved into sex unsurprisingly. Pieck wasn’t even sure how it started. They had sat down to watch a movie on her tiny TV and next thing she knew Yelena had her on the bed kissing her roughly and undressing her. She responded with just as much vigor, feeling oddly connected to the blonde. As if they were silently communicating somehow through rough presses of their palms, scratches and bites, leaving marks on each other's body like love letters in the sand. She found it incredibly arousing yet liberating. Like all her pent up frustrations were being released into this erotic dance she shared with Yelena, and Yelena alone.

For Yelena, sex was the only way she knew how to communicate her emotions. She was frustrated with herself, the situation and her feelings for Pieck, but at the same time found the petite woman incredibly alluring and wanted nothing more than to have her way with her -which only added to her frustrations-. And _god_ the more Pieck dug her nails in, the more aroused she became. She could feel herself already throbbing with an aching need for release and it wasn’t long before the two were a hot mess of sweat and bodily fluids. 

After their particularly intense session, the two women laid together on the bed as they gently caressed each other's bodies. Yelena tenderly kissed some of the marks left behind on Pieck's pale skin before resting her head on top of the raven haired woman's chest. As she did so, Pieck ran slender fingers through the straw blonde hair of her lover, grazing her other hand lightly along the bare skin of Yelena's back enjoying the feeling of flesh on her fingertips. There was something hedonistic and intimate about laying together naked while exchanging soft breaths and gentle touches. Pieck almost felt more vulnerable this way than through the actual act of sex itself. 

Yelena relaxed with closed eyes as she enjoyed the rhythmic sound of Pieck’s heartbeat against her ear, feeling blissfully at peace for the first time in awhile. As she released a whisper of a breath, she allowed her mind to focus on the gentle strokes of Pieck's hands, feeling fingertips absentmindedly tracing the scars on her back -much to her amusement-. 

“Growing up I had a nanny that believed in corporal punishment.” Yelena said off-handedly before continuing with a hint of humor in her voice, “guess I was a real brat.”

Pieck was caught off guard by the sudden offer up of information from the blonde, “does it bother you I’m touching them?” 

“Not at all.” 

“You had a nanny growing up?” Pieck asked tentatively, unsure how much Yelena was willing to divulge at this point. 

“Mm. A few over the years. My father was away for work a lot, so I had a nanny to make sure I didn’t burn the house down.”

_No mother?_ Pieck wondered but didn’t want to prod too much, “that sounds….terribly lonely.”

“I suppose.” 

The two lapsed into an easy silence, neither being too intent on moving anytime soon. It wasn’t long before Pieck noticed the change in Yelena's breathing and ...snoring? 

Pieck tilted her head to catch a look at the blonde's face, careful not to shift too much for fear of disrupting her.

Fast asleep. 

‘ _Cute’_ Pieck thought, her chest swelling with affection for the woman ontop of her. She continued gently stroking the blonde hair as her mind drifted to thoughts of the life Yelena must have lived. 

Abusive Nannies, a distant father and absent mother? She glanced at the array of scars along Yelena's back. Far from the perfect rich family Pieck had previously alluded to. She herself was all too familiar with the gaping hole left by a missing parent. 

Did Yelena’s mom die too? 

As she continued to mull over these thoughts she felt her eyes getting heavier and, despite her best efforts, it wasn’t long before she drifted off to the clutches of sleep. 

When she awoke, her room was dark and a noticeable weight was missing from her chest. She felt around in her bed feeling nothing but empty space between the sheets. 

‘ _She must’ve gone home’_ a twinge of disappointment sparked in her chest, silently cursing herself for falling asleep. She would’ve liked to enjoy the moment longer. 

Pieck rummaged around in the darkness of her room to find her phone, not bothering to turn the lights on. When she finally found it, she saw multiple texts and the time.

11:30pm. _Bedtime._ She thought, as if she hadn’t already been sleeping for hours, she crawled back into bed not bothering to put pjs on. 

Pieck _loved_ sleep. It was a beautiful reprieve from the stresses of life, and she didn’t take it lightly. If she could she’d stay in bed forever, never getting up. 

She set an alarm on her phone for the morning before scrolling through her missed text messages. Annie, Hitch, Porco, 

Her heart skipped a beat. _Yelena_. 

She quickly opened it.

Sorry to leave without saying goodbye. You seemed to be quite peaceful and didn’t want to wake you. When are you free for another movie night? ;-) -(Y) 9:52pm 

Pieck smirked at the flirty undertones of the message, however, those warm feelings didn't last long as they quickly bloomed into an aching sadness. She craved so much more from Yelena than just sex. She wanted more nights like tonight, laying in bed together, whispering sweet nothings til they fell asleep. To wake up to a slow, soft morning of peace and good company. She wanted to stare into Yelena's dark brooding eyes, knowing they only saw her. She wanted to be the only one privileged enough to experience those skilled hands dance across her body. Selfishly, she wanted Yelena all to herself. 

Pieck frowned. ' _Is this why they say friends with benefits never work? '_ It was becoming painfully clear she needed to have a conversation with Yelena soon about their feelings and if this was going to develop into more. As it was, this situation wasn’t going to be sustainable for much longer. Her heart couldn't take it. 

Pieck suddenly yearned for her mother, wishing she were able to talk to her about Yelena and all her complicated feelings regarding the handsome blonde. Sure, she could speak to her dad about this but somehow it didn’t feel the same. She desperately wanted the comfort and advice of her mom. 

Pieck placed her phone face down on the nightstand before curling up under the blankets, ready to be consumed by the warm solace of sleep. Maybe tonight her mom would visit her in a dream? She could hope. 

Pieck swallowed back tears as she waited to drift back off to a deep slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think? Do you think this chapter was too short? 
> 
> As always, comments are greatly appreciated! Otherwise, I have no idea if people are still reading and enjoying this.  
> Come shout at me on Tumblr if you want, I post mostly fanart: Leksaa90  
> Have a splendid day friends! <3


	7. Goodbye My Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Galliard's host a Halloween party and Pieck finally confronts Yelena about her feelings.

* * *

“Man, Coach Shadis is such an asshole,” Porco complained to no one in particular as the group of friends sat on the bleachers enjoying the fresh air before the cold grips of winter blew in. He had been made to run multiple laps around the field during their last football practice for picking a fight with Reiner. 

“Maybe if you weren’t horsing around, he wouldn’t have to make an example out of you,” Marcel commented.

“I wasn’t horsing around!!” he said, kicking his brother’s seat -who sat in front of him-, “it was that asshole Reiner”

“You don’t have to react every time he criticizes you” 

“Yeah, seriously. You bring it on yourself,” Hitch pitched in, “Why do you have such a beef with him anyways?” 

“His big stupid face just pisses me off,” Porco responded kicking Marcel’s seat with every syllable. 

“Stop kicking my chair already!!” It was rare for Marcel to react explosively, but if anyone knew how to push his buttons, it was his brother. The two erupted into a squabble. 

Pieck listened absentmindedly to the bickering as she stared off into space, chin resting on her hand. Porco always did have a bit of a temper, even when they were kids. However, Pieck found his emotional honesty somewhat endearing. She always knew exactly what he was feeling, since he was the type of person to wear his heart on his sleeve.

“Have you decided what you’re wearing to the Halloween party this weekend?” 

The voice broke her thoughts as Pieck glanced over at Historia, who looked at her with a pleasant smile. She had been hanging out with their group more and more since the sleepover despite Pieck’s minor disdain towards her. She responded with a smile doing her best to hide her bitterness, “Is that this weekend already? A costume hadn't even crossed my mind.” 

Pieck was acutely aware her dislike towards Historia was irrational and unfair. It wasn’t the petite woman’s fault Yelena was such a secretive person, however, being around Historia felt like a constant reminder of all the secrets Yelena kept and a world Pieck wasn’t accepted into. It invited a gnawing loneliness she hadn’t felt in years. 

“We should go shopping together!” Historia exclaimed excitedly, fists clenched and leaning into Pieck’s personal space. Pieck had a hunch Historia noticed her aloof demeanor towards her as she seemed to be overly friendly to compensate, much to the raven haired woman’s dismay. Pieck figured Historia was the type of person that couldn’t stand the thought of someone disliking her. However, it proved to be challenging for Pieck to keep up the charade of pleasantries when she wanted nothing more but for Historia to leave her alone. Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t bring herself to be rude enough to say those words out loud. 

“That’s a great idea!” Hitch chimed in. 

“I thought you already had a costume?” Historia asked, turning her attention towards Hitch. 

“I do!! But I would never pass up an opportunity to go shopping,” Hitch joked, “We should go this evening!” 

Pieck racked her brain for an excuse. She didn’t really have the money for a costume or any interest in being around Historia more than necessary. However, she was unwilling to admit either of those things and couldn’t come up with another excuse on the spot, so to her displeasure, she obliged. 

After school the three went their separate ways to get ready before Hitch drove by to pick them each up.

\-----

“A party?” Yelena inquired as they walked together.

“Yeah, the Galliards host it every year. I think the majority of our grade is invited this time though, you should come.” Pieck explained with a smile. 

“Oh, you know I think I do remember Onyankopon mentioning something about it.” 

“And?” 

“I dunno. I’m not much for parties.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to see all the scantily clad women in their ‘costumes’,” Pieck teased. 

“Are you wearing a scantily clad costume?” 

“In your dreams maybe” 

Yelena puffed out some air, not really sure what to make of that answer before her mind was flooded with images of Pieck dressed in various sexually revealing costumes. Her eyebrow twitched, as she attempted not to give away her perverted thoughts. 

“I like dressing up in something grotesque and scary,” Pieck continued, “Maybe a zombie or a vampire. Or a ghost! Something with lots of blood and gore.”

Yelena quirked an eyebrow at this, “really?” She couldn’t help but find it cute how innocent Pieck’s response was. 

“Yeah. I mean, where's the fun in Halloween if you’re not dressing up like a monster?” 

Yelena shrugged, “To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I dressed up for Halloween.”

Pieck stopped, “What. Seriously?” she said, almost sounding offended.

Yelena stopped as well, turning to look at Pieck, “Yeah. I always felt a bit silly,” she admitted. 

Pieck scoffed, “how boring.” 

“Hey now, don’t be rude,” Yelena smirked. 

Pieck shook her head like a disappointed parent, as she continued walking, pretending to ignore the tall blonde.

“Hey! C’mon!” Yelena called out before catching up to Pieck. As she came up behind Pieck, she placed her hands on the shorter woman’s shoulders and pulled her back into her. Pieck looked up at a somewhat frazzled Yelena. The blonde seemed to actually be concerned she offended Pieck. 

Pieck raised her eyebrows, leaning her head back against Yelena's chest. 

“Don’t be a brat,” Yelena's voice was barely over a whisper. 

Pieck offered her a smile, reaching a hand up to playfully pinch Yelena's cheek. “You’re kinda cute when you're upset” 

Yelena only frowned more, but Pieck could see the bashfulness in her eyes. Pieck couldn’t help but feel a little bad for teasing the blonde, as she seemed genuinely bothered. The short woman turned around to give her a hug.

“Okay okayy, I’m sorry for teasing you.” She said into Yelena's chest with a hint of humor in her voice. Pieck had no idea Yelena could be so sensitive. 

Yelena returned the hug, enjoying the feeling of Pieck pressed against her body.

\---------

  
  


“Is there any store in particular you guys wanna go to?”

Pieck was pulled out of her thoughts. “No.” she responded. She wasn’t planning on buying much, if anything, regardless where they went. 

“Me niether” Historia said. 

The group of girls went to a few stores, all with varying amounts of Halloween supplies before Historia finally picked out a pirate costume. At one of the stores Pieck had decided on being a ghost, opting to pick up some Halloween makeup and fake blood. She was sure she could find clothes at home for the rest of the outfit. 

After the girls got all they needed, they decided to stop at the food court in the mall to grab a bite to eat. 

While Hitch wandered the giant circular room lined with fast food stalls -trying to decide what to eat-, Pieck and Historia sat awkwardly alone together at a table with their food. 

Historia glanced around, seeing Hitch was still occupied before taking a breath, “Did I do something to upset you? Or did Ymir?” 

Pieck stared blankly into Historia’s eyes, debating how to answer, however before she had a chance Historia began rambling. 

“I know Ymir can be a bit brash, so if she did anything to offend you the other day, I’m really sorry. She didn’t mean it,” Histroia then glanced away briefly before mumbling, “I don’t think…”

Historia had heard about the awkward encounter in the store from Ymir when she brought the taller woman her left behind goodies, even chastising Ymir for being so rude to her friend. 

“How well do you know Yelena?” the words came out of Pieck’s mouth before she had a chance to censor herself. She immediately felt a pang of guilt for prying into Yelena’s personal life behind her back. 

Historia was a bit caught off guard by the question but responded regardless, “Well, I’ve only met her once. But she’s pretty good friends with Ymir. They grew up together or something. I don’t really know much more than that though...” 

“Hm.” 

“Are things okay with you and Yelena?” 

Pieck didn’t respond. She wasn't ready to fully admit to her intimate friendship with Yelena, especially not to this girl she barely knew.

As if on cue, Hitch appeared placing her tray on the table and pulling up a chair to sit with them, much to Pieck's relief. 

“Ugh that line up was ridiculous.”

Pieck looked at her with a warm smile, “What did you end up getting.”

Historia took the hint that the conversation was over, not really sure what to make of it. Clearly Pieck didn’t want to talk about whatever it was that was bothering her. _‘Her and Yelena share that in common at least.’_ Historia thought to herself. 

\-------

The night of the party came quickly, and Pieck was invited over to Hitch’s -along with Annie- to get ready. Hitch's parents knew there was going to be drinking despite Hitch’s insistence there wasn’t -there was, it was a teenage party afterall-, so they decided they would drop the girls off and pick them up afterwards, as well as offering for Hitch's friends to spend the night just to be extra safe. 

“Really Annie? Are you ever going to be anything else?” Hitch said eyeing her up and down. Annie was wearing a traditional Gii, with her usual white hoodie underneath -cuz she hated being cold-.

“What? I like being a martial artist”

“But that’s what you are in REAL life. That’s not even a costume! Not to mention you wear the SAME thing EVERY YEAR” Hitch said exasperatedly. She didn’t understand Annie sometimes.

“You wanna fight over it, Cowgirl?” Annie put up her fists, hunching down into her signature stance, earning a roll of the eyes from Hitch. 

“Calm down there Rocky,” Hitch responded sarcastically. Hitch herself had opted to coordinate costumes with Marlow, him being a Cow Boy and her being a scantily dressed Cow Girl. Hitch had no shame, and wasn’t afraid of showing off her body. _‘What? I worked hard for this, I might as well show it off a little’_ she had once said in response to a rude comment from one of the boys. Hitch was always loud and proud of who she was, unashamed or embarrassed to be herself around anyone, and Pieck always deeply admired that about her. 

Pieck stared into the mirror, applying black circles under her eyes to contrast the white makeup on her face before adding drops of fake blood. She had found an old white night gown in her closet that she didn’t wear anymore and figured it would work perfectly with her ghost costume. It was long enough to reach her ankles, with long baggy sleeves. She thought it looked almost Victorian much to her pleasure, as she figured it fit the ghostly theme she was going for. She was now just putting on the final touches of her costume, a bloody cut across her neck -to signify she had died from decapitation- and fake blood on the gown. 

She stood back to get a good look at herself in the mirror. ‘ _Perfect!’_ She thought triumphantly.

“Ooooo you look amazing Pieck!” HItch said as she came up behind the shorter woman, placing her hands on Pieck’s shoulders. 

“Very scary” Annie added with a smirk and cross of her arms. 

“Thanks guys” Pieck smiled warmly. Pieck had to admit, she was feeling a little nervous. This was the first year there was going to be so many people outside their friend group at the Halloween party. She wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it yet. 

“Let’s take a selfie and then get going!” Hitch exclaimed, pulling out her phone.

When they arrived at the Galliards it was already packed. ‘ _Is THIS what dad meant by wild teen parties.’_ Pieck thought as she surveyed the foyer filled with lively teenagers dressed up in various costumes drinking and shouting excitedly. 

Of their friend group, the Galliards were the most wealthy of the bunch, living in a massive mansion on the outskirts of town. Their family possessed an inconceivable amount of money that had been passed down for generations. Pieck didn’t want to say the brothers were spoiled, but they kind of were, their parents often letting them do whatever they wanted -hence being able to host a massive party with teenagers-. _’As long as noone dies’_ they had told the boys. It was clear they were unconcerned with any legal ramifications of under age drinking -they had the money to pay off anyone that posed a threat-, and the house was far enough out in it’s own space, noise complaints weren't a concern. Pieck sometimes wondered, and even envied, the life the brothers lived.

“Hey Guys!!” Porco and Marcel, dressed up as vampires, greeted the trio as they walked through the door. Similar to Pieck, Porco loved dressing up for Halloween.

“Drinks and snacks are in the kitchen, please help yourselves,” Marcel explained.

“I love your costume Pieck” Porco said, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. Pieck couldn't help but wonder how much he had already had to drink, as he wasn't usually one to be shy.

“Thank you, likewise,” she smiled at him warmly. 

“What about my costume?” Hitch pouted, wrapping an arm around Porco and pulling him close. 

“Please, it’s so unoriginal” he snarked back with a frown.

She pushed him away with a scoff, crossing her arms, “Like a vampire is _SO_ original?” 

“I need a drink” Annie said with a roll of her eyes, making her way towards the kitchen. Pieck nodded following behind her, hoping a drink would quell her nerves. When the topic had come up again, Yelena insinuated she might make an appearance tonight, which was enough to fill Pieck with anxious anticipation.

Pieck hung out with Annie for a little bit before deciding to head into a large Rec room type space, where the majority of the party was taking place. It was complete with TV, couches, music/dance area, pool table and various other recreational activities. The space was massive, capable of holding 100 people easily. 

Pieck found a comfortable spot along the wall to people watch while she sipped her drink. Her head was already beginning to feel a bit woozy from the spiked fruit punch, which was much stronger than she had anticipated -not that she was complaining-. Her eyes surveyed the large crowd. A part of her was hoping to see Yelena. 

“Hey there,” she heard a low sultry voice come up beside her. 

Pieck unintentionally pulled a face when she glanced over and realized the voice belonged to Ymir. It appeared the booze was already lowering her inhibitions as her facial expressions seemed to be getting away from her. 

“Hey what was that face for?” Ymir frowned, feigning offense. 

Pieck didn’t respond, looking back out at the crowd. ‘ _Maybe if I ignore her, she’ll go away’_ Pieck thought to herself. She couldn't help but feel similarly towards Ymir as she did Historia. Ignorance was bliss, and their presence was ruining the carefully fabricated illusion that Yelena liked her more than any of the blonde's other women. 

“ohoo, you and Yelena have that in common. Pretending to ignore me when I’m pissing you off,” Ymir teased.

Pieck's eyes widened, caught off guard by the comment. She could feel a blush threatening to form at the mere mention of the tall blonde. Maybe drinking wasn't such a good idea if her inhibitions were going to be this low, she thought, finding it difficult to keep up her usual placid composure. 

“Your poker face isn’t nearly as good as hers though,” Ymir whispered into Pieck’s ear with a smirk, her blush coming out in full force now.

“Ymir, leave her alone!” Historia’s voice came up from behind, headbutting the taller woman, “You’re being a jerk!” 

“Relaaaax, I’m just teasing” Ymir said, pushing Historia’s head away before turning back to Pieck, “Listen, I just wanted to apologize for my strange behavior the other night. I had other things on my mind” 

Pieck looked back at her with a straight face, “it’s not a problem.” 

Ymir stared at her with a frown, “It is though, isn’t it? Why don’t you just tell me straight.” 

Pieck blew a puff of air thru her nose before glancing into her empty cup, “It’s nothing personal.”

“Is it Yelena?” 

Pieck glanced back up at Ymir, her expression softening a bit. 

“You know, I’ve been friends with her for a terribly long time. I know she can be a real pain in the ass. But I’ve never seen her put any effort into a girl before you.” 

Pieck raised an eyebrow. “What are you getting at?” she questioned, wanting Ymir to explicitly say what she thought.

“I really think she likes you, even if she’s too dense to figure it out herself.” 

“Hmph.” Pieck turned this thought around in her head like a jumbled up rubiks cube, not too sure how to respond before deciding she didn’t feel like responding at all. Maybe some things were better left unsaid. 

“Well I’m going to get another drink,” Pieck said, pushing herself off from the wall, “was nice chatting.” 

Ymir watched Pieck disappear into the crowd before catching the eye of an angry Historia.

“What?” 

\-----

Pieck made her way back to the kitchen, ladling more of the spiked fruit punch into her cup before deciding to peruse the snack arrangement. She could see the brothers had attempted to make spooky themed snacks but seemed to have lost ambition along the way, for the further she made her way down the table, the more haphazardly the snacks were put together. Pieck chuckled to herself at this. As she continued, her eye caught a glimpse of a particularly unassuming platter of cookies. She felt a thrill of excitement spark in her chest at the sight. The brothers' mom made the _best_ homemade cookies and these appeared to be exactly that. She'd recognize them _anywhere._

Pieck quickly grabbed one and took a bite. _They were!_ She closed her eyes in blissful heaven as she savored the chewy caramel and chocolate chip cookie in her mouth. Once done she opted to take a few more, briefly wondering if anyone would notice her taking the whole platter. 

“Bit of a sweet tooth?” 

Pieck jumped, startled and somewhat embarrassed that she was caught being a glutton. She turned to look in the direction of the voice. 

_Yelena!_

“You came!” Pieck said excitedly despite herself. 

“Well, not yet but…” 

Pieck smirked with a roll of her eyes, “You know what I mean. Here try a cookie!” She said offering one to her, which the blonde accepted wholeheartedly. 

“When did you get here?” Pieck asked as she continued picking treats off the snack table and putting them onto a plate. 

“A little while ago.” Yelena hummed.

“Really?? This is the first time I’ve seen you,” Pieck stopped and looked Yelena up and down, She was dressed in a black suit and tie, with a white dress shirt, “What are you supposed to be anyways?” 

“Oh. A hit man! Or something... “ Yelena looked away with a quirked eyebrow and slight blush on her cheeks, “I don’t really know, it was Onyankopon’s idea...” 

Pieck erupted in laughter much to Yelena’s amusement. ‘ _Clearly she’s had a few’_ Yelena thought, however, not one to talk considering the blonde was already on her third gin and tonic. 

“Seriously, how unoriginal,” Pieck teased with a smirk, earning a shrug from the blonde. 

Yelena leaned down, whispering hotly into Pieck’s ear, “You look stunning, as always.” 

This sent a hot shiver down Pieck’s spine. She gulped before regaining her composure and looking up at the commanding blonde, “You realize I’m a ghost, right? I could haunt you for the rest of your days,” she murmured trying not to give away her excitement, her alcohol fogged mind making it difficult. 

“I’d fancy myself pretty lucky if that were the case,” Yelena responded charmingly. Pieck frowned though her blush gave away her true feelings. 

“Is this how you usually go about picking up women?” 

“Is it working?” Yelena smirked. 

Pieck shrugged, leaning up against a counter as she began munching on a few of her snacks, “I’d give it a 6/10. Mild interest, but not enough to get in my pants” 

Yelena gave her an unamused look, “I find that hard to believe.” 

“Did I hurt your pride?” Pieck responded with an air of smug amusement. 

“Hardly,” Yelena said before she glanced around the empty room. It seemed most of the guests had funneled into the rec room for a beer pong tournament. She returned her attention to Pieck, moving in close. Pieck looked up at her with a cocky grin. Yelena couldn’t deny Pieck’s unadulterated flirting was a huge turn on. She placed her hands on either side of Pieck, moving her face mere centimeters away from the smaller woman, staring her in the eyes. She craved the taste of Pieck's lips, but wasn’t sure that the raven haired woman would feel the same so openly, after all, this was her friend’s party and maybe Pieck wasn't a fan of public displays of affection. 

Pieck’s breath caught in her throat, not expecting Yelena to be so bold. What if someone saw them? Would it ruin the blonde’s aloof persona? Pieck raised her eyebrows, unsure of her next move, a deep blush brandishing her cheeks. 

Yelena smirked, knowing she got the upper hand, “care to change that rating to a 10/10?” she whispered into Pieck’s ear, “A real panty dropper” 

Pieck frowned, knowing Yelena was just playing with her now, but before she had a chance to respond with a smartassed remark, Yelena stole her lips -much to the smaller woman's surprise-. Pieck inhaled sharply through her nose, closing her eyes and excitedly returning the kiss. Yelena was quick to deepen it, pushing her tongue into Pieck’s mouth, tasting a mixture of chocolate and alcohol. 

When they broke apart, Pieck faintly heard Yelena murmur against her lips, “I need you,” before Yelena pressed her mouth eagerly back against Pieck's, eliciting a small moan. 

When they pulled away again, Pieck swallowed, staring back at the blonde before abandoning her plate and drink on the counter and leading Yelena to a bathroom in a far flung corner of the mansion. She couldn't deny how much she craved the handsome blonde too. 

As soon as they entered the room and locked the door, Yelena quickly lifted Pieck up onto the sink vanity, running her hands up the luscious thighs of her lover, pushing up the night gown in the process revealing pale skin. Pieck felt a thrill in her stomach. There was something exciting about being so eagerly wanted. The two exchanged heated open mouthed kisses as their hands roamed each other's bodies and Yelena pressed herself in-between Pieck’s legs. 

Pieck suddenly pulled away to get a good look at Yelena, running a hand through the straw blonde hair of the tall woman. Pieck's face turned into one of contemplation, much to Yelena's puzzlement.

Pieck wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol giving her liquid courage or her chat with Ymir giving her confidence, but she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She _needed_ to know how Yelena felt about her before they went any further. 

“What am I to you?” Pieck asked, unable to hide the nervousness in her voice.

Yelena quirked an eyebrow unsure if this was a joke, “A sexy ghost that needs to be relieved of their worldly desires,” she leaned in for another kiss before Pieck pulled away again much to Yelena’s dismay. 

“No, but really”

Yelena raised an eyebrow, “I don’t understand.” 

Pieck sighed much to Yelena’s growing confusion.

“You know, I really like you,” Pieck explained. 

Yelena stared at the smaller woman, a disconnect forming in her brain.

“I like you too,” she responded. 

“No, Like I really really like you!” Pieck's voice raised slightly, steeling herself before continuing quietly, “Like, I want to be your girlfriend.”

Yelena stared at Pieck as her brain tried processing what she was being told, “oh.” 

Deep down, Yelena wanted nothing more than to have Pieck as her girlfriend. But something held her back. A screaming terror that numbed her to her core. 

Pieck’s lips curled down. This was not the reaction she had hoped for, “oh?” she asked. 

Yelena swallowed dryly, anxiety building up in her chest. Her mind was drawing a blank as she looked back at Pieck. She could see the pain in Pieck's eyes and Yelena found it absolutely gut wrenching, but... 

“I-” she inhaled deeply before continuing with a shake of her head, “I can’t” 

Pieck pushed her back a bit, “You can’t?”

“I’m sorry.” 

Pieck’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach, pain consuming her. This wasn’t what she had hoped for at all.

Seemingly on auto pilot, Pieck suddenly leaned forward to embrace the tall blonde one last time before whispering into the crook of her neck, “then I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore,” her voice cracked. It was too painful. 

Pieck planted a gentle kiss on a speechless Yelena's cheek, as if to convey her unrequited love, before pushing the blonde away and proceeding to hop off the vanity to exit the room, leaving Yelena alone to watch Pieck leave. 

Yelena stood frozen in place, panic and heart break setting in.

_‘Don't leave.'_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always h/c Pieck to be the type to like sweets haha. 
> 
> Also, this chapter was terribly difficult to write!! Mostly because the separation of Pieck and Yelena has been imminent for awhile now and I knew it would be difficult to flesh out. As much as I didn't want to write it, I feel it's necessary for their development (Yelena's in particular) and hopefully it'll be worth it in the end! 
> 
> What good is a story without a little bit of pain, right? right?? ;-; 
> 
> Anyways, Comments are always appreciated <3 thanks for reading. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon.


	8. All I Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pieck and Yelena cope with the after math of their separation in their own ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is based off a Kodaline song with the same name. It was one of the songs I listened to on repeat while writing this out. It just sounds so hopeful yet sad and seemed fitting somehow, ya know?

* * *

Tears stung at Pieck’s eyes as they threatened to escape down her cheeks. She did her best to hold them back as she briskly walked down the hall towards the party. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do when she got there, but she didn’t know where else to go. She just walked with the hope she would figure it out along the way.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t surprised by Yelena's response, though it hurt just the same. And she briefly wondered why in the devil she decided to bring it up _now_ of all times, when she was stuck at a party surrounded by people -many whom she didn't even know- when all she wanted was to be alone.

Pieck supposed she had just desperately hoped for a different outcome, and figured the potential gain was greater than the possible loss. She had just been so sure in Yelena's feelings, how did it end up like this? 

And what did Yelena mean, “I can’t”. Was it their income differences? Yelena came from wealth and she came from… 

Pieck choked back the lump in her throat. That thought wasn’t making things any easier as her vision began to blur.

Just then, Pieck unexpectedly bumped into Annie who had been turning the corner. Surprised, Pieck looked up into Annie’s blue eyes and all the tears she was desperately holding back released like a torrential rain storm. 

“Pieck!? What’s wrong?” Annie asked with alarm in her voice, impulsively embracing Pieck -who dug her face into Annie’s shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks-. Pieck was unable to bring herself to speak as she quietly sobbed into Annie’s shoulder. She felt like a fool.

Annie held her close as panic built in her chest. Pieck _never_ cried, and to see her break down like this, Annie could only assume the worst. 

“Did something happen to your dad?” 

Pieck shook her head, much to Annie’s visible relief. She steeled herself before venturing another guess.

“Yelena?” 

Pieck stilled for a moment before nodding slightly. She felt embarrassed and ashamed that she was in this situation to begin with, however, Annie only tightened her grip around Pieck in an attempt to envelope her in comfort, knowing full well how badly she must be hurting. It broke Annie’s heart to see Pieck in such pain. 

“I’ll text Hitch and we'll leave.” 

Pieck nodded silently, not letting go while keeping her face hidden. Somehow, she felt safer that way, in Annie’s arms away from the prying eyes of all the drunk teenagers. 

That night, once they got back to Hitch’s place, Pieck confessed everything; her job at the shady convenience store, how her and Yelena first met, their complicated friendship and the eventual end. Hitch and Annie listened intently, offering their support and comfort as best they could. 

“I feel so stupid,” Pieck said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, having finally calmed down a bit.

“No no no, don’t feel stupid. How could you have known?” Hitch said gently as she stroked Pieck’s hair. 

“I _did_ know though.” 

“Love makes people do silly things. It happens to the best of us, there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Hitch said, pulling her in for another hug. 

“It just hurts so bad,” she cried, voice cracking as the tears began all over again, “I thought I would be different. I so desperately wanted to be.” 

“I know, I know,” Hitch said, running her fingers gently thru Pieck’s hair, “the pain will pass, I promise.” Hitch whispered against her head, glancing over and making eye contact with Annie -who sat on the otherside of Pieck- rubbing the raven haired woman's back soothingly. All they could do was be there for her to ride out the storm.

\----

Yelena stood alone in the bathroom trying to grasp what had happened. Did Pieck just break up with her? But they weren’t dating… But did this mean their friendship was over? Her mind churned as anxiety began to bubble in her chest, staring at the door Pieck walked out of. 

Her eyebrow furrowed. Why did Pieck leave? 

She could feel her ears beginning to ring, drowning out all other sounds, even her thoughts.

She needed to leave. To get away. Run.

_BREATHE._

Yelena inhaled sharply not sure when she had started holding her breath. 

After the initial shock, Yelena called a taxi, willing herself to leave the party. She was in a daze, mind racing, metaphorically grasping for some semblance of an explanation. She didn’t even bother to let Onyankopon know she had left. It was too much effort and she just wanted to be alone. Needed to be alone. 

When Yelena finally made it home she sunk to the floor, putting her head in her hands. Her heart ached. 

Was it really over? 

\---------------

The following Monday Yelena followed her usual routine of sitting in the cafeteria with Onyankopon for lunch. She absentmindedly poked at her food. She wasn’t hungry. She wasn’t even sure why she bothered to buy lunch in the first place if she wasn’t going to eat it. Or why she sat in the cafeteria like everything was normal for that matter. She felt sick. 

_‘What a waste’_ she thought blankly, swirling the spaghetti noodles around in the sauce. She concentrated on the motions like her life depended on it, too afraid to take her eyes off the plate, to perchance see Pieck if she looked around the room. 

Yelena had hardly slept. Her mind struggled like a drug addled addict in withdrawal. She couldn’t think straight. This felt similar to something she had felt before, but her mind desperately battled against those thoughts, too afraid to face them. 

“Did something happen?” Onyankopon asked with concern. 

Yelena didn’t respond. He wasn't even sure if she heard him. 

“You look terrible” he joked, in an attempt to get any sort of reaction out of her. 

Nothing. Not even an angry glare was shot his way. 

Onyankopon bit his lip, tapping his fork as he thought. Yelena was never this complacent. It was already strange how she had left the party without a word. He was positive something had happened but he didn’t think it was this serious. 

“Yelena!”

She slowly glanced up at him with tired eyes. 

“What happened?” He demanded a bit more harsher than intended. 

She shrugged looking back down at her plate of food. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to talk about it, or anything for that matter. She just wanted to melt away and disappear into the void. She stared at the mess of sauce and noodles on the plate. The thought of putting anything in her mouth made her want to gag. 

Onyankopon stared at her, watching her play with her food. He didn’t know what to say to get her to speak. Nothing really. She was much too stubborn. If she didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't. He much would’ve preferred to hear what had happened from her, but if she wasn’t going to tell him he would have to find out through other means. He hadn’t seen her this despondent since the unexpected death of her nanny and that _terrified_ him. He and Ymir seemed to have spent years carefully watching the tall blonde from the sidelines, waiting for the ball to drop and the fragility of Yelena’s mind to finally snap. Was this it? 

_‘Sorry Yelena, but it’s for your own good,’_ He thought as he affirmed to himself the morality of going behind her back to investigate what was going on. Atleast if he had some idea what had happened he could figure out a way to mend it, or atleast have a place to start. 

\------

“Hey Armin” Onyankopon walked up to the blonde haired boy, who sat at a desk infront of a laptop -light clicking noises verberating from his fingertips as they glided across the keyboard-. 

“Oh hey Onyankopon! Check this out, I think I figured out the error in our code.”

Onyankopon looked over his shoulder at the text filled screen with a nod. 

“That’s great!” He said, before lapsing into an awkward silence, discomfort building in his chest. He hated going behind people’s backs and he was sure he had a pretty good idea what was going on, but he needed to know for sure, “Hey I have a question for you”

“Sure, shoot!” Armin responded, not taking his eyes off the computer screen as he continued working. 

“Your girlfriend is pretty good friends with Pieck, no?” 

“Mhmm” 

“Do you know. That is... Did something happen?” 

Armin’s typing slowed to a stop, turning his head to look up at Onyankopon quizzically. 

“I don’t know the details. But I believe so. They left in quite a hurry Saturday. Annie didn’t want to talk about it though.” 

Onyankopon nodded. 

“Why do you ask?” 

“It’s nothing,” he smiled sadly, his suspicions confirmed.

  
  


\-------------

After classes finished, Yelena stood outside the school staring out at the sea of students feeling like a lost puppy; If they weren’t friends anymore, did this mean she couldn’t walk Pieck home?

‘ _Of course not. What a stupid question’_ she thought bitterly to herself, eyes narrowing. 

But what was she supposed to do now? What did she used to do before Pieck? Yelena furrowed her eyebrow. Rationally she knew it hadn’t been that long ago and yet... 

“Hey.” 

Yelena glanced over to see Onyankopon walking up, “Lets go,” he said with a tilt of his head. 

Yelena nodded following him to wherever they were going. She didn’t really know what else to do and she was grateful for some sort of direction. As they walked towards the parking lot, Yelena caught a glimpse of Pieck leaving the school with her friends. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, as if it had forgotten the events of the past weekend, a momentary reprieve before that painful ache reclaimed her chest. 

Why _did_ she say no to Pieck’s request? Her mind drew a blank as if it purposely whited out all thoughts.

Yelena looked back to the ground as she continued following Onyankopon towards the parking lot. They stopped when they reached his car.

“Hop in.” 

“Are you driving me home?” Yelena asked, voice cracking as her vocal chords struggled to create sound.

“If you want me to.” 

Yelena nodded, deciding to leave her car at the school. One of the house attendants could get it later. Or it could just sit there and rot for all she cared. 

As they drove to Yelena's house, Onyankopon tried fruitlessly to get Yelena to talk. It didn’t even have to be about Pieck or the past weekend. It could’ve been about anything. He just needed some assurance she was at least somewhat okay. However, no matter how hard he tried she wasn't budging, opting to remain silent and stare out the window. 

All she wanted was to sleep and to be alone. 

  
  


————

  
  


The next few days, Yelena didn’t show up at school. 

Despite Pieck’s best efforts to disengage from the blonde entirely, she still couldn’t help but search for her in a crowd. It seemed to be a habit at this point, after having done so for so many years. She had caught Yelena looking at her from the corner of her eye the day before as she left school. Pieck thought Yelena had looked rather exhausted, seeming to be struggling with their separation as much as she was. 

Pieck wondered if maybe she had been too abrupt, ending things. Maybe Yelena really _couldn’t_ date her because of their income differences. Not that it made her feel any better, but she wondered if it was unfair of her to sever their friendship over her own selfish desire to date the handsome blonde. 

Pieck sighed, fidgeting with her pencil. She did miss Yelena terribly… but maybe this was for the best. Two people couldn’t possibly maintain a relationship wanting different things, it was bound to end sooner or later. She sighed again as she talked herself out of opening up communication with the blonde, for the millionth time this week. Everyday felt like an endless battle between her heart and her brain, what she wanted and what she needed. And Pieck desperately needed to move on. 

  
  


———

  
  


Yelena laid in the darkness of her room, the air cool and crisp as she stayed huddled under the perceived safety of her blanket. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t drag herself out of bed and at some point she had given up trying all together. She decided this was fine, allowing herself to be consumed by the crushing emptiness she felt, drifting in and out of fever dreams. 

At one point, she heard something loud. Knocking. No. More like frantic pounding. Definitely pounding. There was pounding at the door, she was sure of it but Yelena really didn’t care. It was probably just Ymir. And she could bang at the door all night if she wanted, it wasn’t going to convince her to get out of bed. _Not this time._

Eventually however, Ymir got in, having gone through the main house and demanding the keys to Yelena’s bachelor suite from the staff, to which they obliged. It wasn’t long after that, that Ymir barged into the quiet space, flicking on all the lights and eventually entering Yelena’s room turning the lights on there as well. A part of Yelena wasn’t even surprised that Ymir had ended up making it in, however, she still made no effort to move. 

Ymir ripped the blankets off, revealing a mostly naked Yelena -other than underwear- who snarked at her, “What the fuck!?” 

“Oh _THANK GOD_ you’re alive!” Onyankopon exclaimed in exasperated relief, hand on his chest and bent over as if to catch his breath, color returning to his face. After Yelena didn’t show up to school or respond to his texts he was in an absolute panic. He didn’t think Yelena would be the type to attempt suicide but you could never be sure what goes on in someone’s mind when they’re alone with their thoughts, and her prolonged silence only fueled his fears before he finally enlisted the help of Ymir. 

“What are you doing sitting in the dark moping!?” Ymir exclaimed angrily. 

Yelena didn’t bother to answer, to move out of her bed or even fight for her blanket. Instead, she opted to curl up in the fetal position for warmth, closing her eyes. ‘ _The nerve of these people.’_ she thought angrily, _‘maybe if I ignore them they’ll go away.’_

Ymir hopped up on the bed, pushing Yelena’s body with the ball of her sock covered foot, “Hey! We’re talking about this!! Get up!!” 

Yelena ignored Ymir’s attempts to get a ruse out of her. Ymir stood over her, hands on her hips and a scowl across her face. 

“Humph. Wanna play it like that eh?” Ymir said as she jumped off the bed. 

Before Yelena knew what was happening, she felt the mattress shift underneath her, flipping sideways and throwing her to the floor. 

Yelena sat up yelling, “What the hell’s your problem!?” 

In seconds, Ymir was in the blonde’s face, grabbing her by the bare shoulder and yanking her in close, “You listen right now! I’m over this shit. You had us worried SICK!! Not answering your phone? Not showing up to school? You’re being a spoiled ASSHOLE!” 

Yelena stared wide eyed and silent into Ymir’s glossy eyes, an expression of shock etched into the blonde’s generally expressionless face. Onyankopon had -unintentionally- worked Ymir up pretty good before going to Yelena’s place, afraid the blonde may have actually done something to herself. Then, when they had entered the eerily silent suite, Ymir had dreaded the worst. She was sure her soul had momentarily left her body when they entered the room and Yelena didn't move. 

“Now you’re going to get dressed, and meet us downstairs and we’re going to TALK about what the _fuck_ is going on.” As Ymir finished her sentence, she shoved Yelena's shoulder -knocking the blonde back- before standing up. 

Ymir was pissed. 

Pissed Yelena was so stubborn about expressing herself, pissed she had been suffering in silence, pissed she lived in a freaking mansion with bloody servants who paid zero attention to her comings and goings, pissed she could've offed herself and _nobody_ would’ve found her til it was too late, but most of all Ymir was pissed at herself for letting things get so bad. They should’ve dealt with this years ago, _forced_ Yelena to deal with her unresolved traumas rather than leave her to her own devices. 

Yelena watched as Ymir grabbed Onyankopon -who stood with a hand covering his eyes out of politeness for the naked blonde- so the two could head downstairs. As soon as their bobbing heads disappeared, Yelena looked down gloomily at the floor, guilt setting in. She had never intended for her friends to worry. 

After throwing on a sweater and sweatpants, Yelena trudged her way downstairs, sitting dejected on the couch across from Onyankopon and Ymir -who lit a smoke after finding Yelena’s stash, breaking her smoke free streak-. Yelena sat awkwardly, fingers intertwined on her lap. She wasn’t really sure what they wanted her to say.

“So?” Ymir said after blowing out a puff of smoke, having calmed down a bit. Yelena briefly wondered why she felt like a scolded child. 

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” 

Ymir rolled her eyes, “Come on. We can sit here all night or you can start talking.” 

“What she’s trying to say is, we know something happened this weekend with you and Pieck,” Onyankopon explained, ever the diplomat. 

Yelena began tapping one thumb against the other in an attempt to expend some of her nervous energy. She really didn’t want to talk about _that._

“And you’re clearly not handling it well. And rather than suffering in silence, we think it would be beneficial if you opened up a little,” Onyankopon continued. 

Yelena’s gaze fell to the ground, picking a spot of dirt to stare at. She wasn’t liking this at all. 

“I don’t think talking about it will help.” Yelena muttered stubbornly. 

Ymir leaned back into the couch taking another puff of her smoke, “I’ll sit here all night. I really don’t care.” Yelena glanced up at her with a tired glare before sighing and shifting uncomfortably. She knew Ymir wasn't bluffing. 

“I don’t know what happened. We- She-” Yelena took a breath, anxiously tapping her heel against the floor, “um. I guess. She wanted to be my girlfriend or something.” 

Ymir raised an eyebrow, “and?” 

“I said no.”

“Why?” Ymir asked. 

Yelena groaned, shoving her face in her hands as she hunched her body over, “I don’t know!” 

Ymir bit back the urge to make a smart ass remark about them being ‘just fuck buddies’ but figured this probably wasn’t a good time to be antagonistic. 

“Well. Do you like her?” Onyankopon ventured tentatively, already knowing the answer. 

Yelena nodded, not looking up from the safety of her hands. She was too embarrassed to look at anyone. 

“Well why did you say no!?” Ymir said with a gesture of her hand and look of irritated perplexion. She stared at the clearly distressed blonde, rubbing the butt end of her smoke with her thumb, feeling the firm filter pressing into her skin. _How fucked up do you have to be to reject someone you like?_ she wondered thoughtfully. 

“I dunno,” Yelena mumbled quietly, “I just panicked.”

“Why?” 

“I don’t know, okay!? Stop asking why!” Yelena snapped back, looking up from her hands to shoot daggers at Ymir. _God Ymir pissed her off sometimes._

“Well, what are you afraid of?” Onyankopon asked calmly, seemingly knowing all the right questions to ask. Admittedly, Onyankopon's questions were much more constructive than just asking why, Ymir acknowledged to herself as she took another puff of her smoke. 

Yelena dropped her arms down, eyes finding the floor again. 

“I don’t know.. I’ve never been in a relationship before. And…. What if she gets to know me and realizes she doesn’t like me or something” 

“So you’re afraid of getting attached?” 

Yelena half shrugged. _Is that what was giving her so much anxiety?_ she wondered.

“Do you think that has something to do with… you know.” Onyankopon leaned in, voice soft and gentle knowing he was heading into dangerous territory. He proceeded with the tentative care of disarming a nuclear bomb, “what happened when you were a kid.” 

Yelena’s dark, threatening orbs slowly met with Onyankopon’s. If looks could kill, the expression on Yelena’s face would’ve decimated an army. She was absolutely **not** talking about _that._ **That** was a topic locked away in a cellar of her brain, never to be brought up again. By _anyone._

Despite this, Onyankopon pressed on. They had avoided the subject for years out of respect for Yelena’s feelings, but it was clear to him now that this was proving to be more detrimental than helpful. His face was set with determination.

“Unprocessed trauma will eat you alive, Yelena. Maybe it’s time you saw someone and dealt with it.” 

“I saw a therapist.” She snipped back, her voice laced with a calm, building wrath. 

“Showing up isn’t ‘seeing a therapist’. You have to actually put in an effort and speak to them. Work through stuff. Open up.” 

Ymir awkwardly finished her cigarette, putting the embers out in the ashtray, her eyes flitting back and forth between her two friends. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a plastic butter knife. 

Yelena's eyes bore into Onyankopon’s, but he remained unflinching. He always was the type to be firm and steadfast in his beliefs, once his mind was set. He had been watching Yelena struggle for awhile now, and enough was enough. He knew he was right and no amount of anger was going to force him to back down. 

“You just broke up with someone you really liked purely out of a fear of getting close to someone again. You need to deal with this before it ruins you.” 

“What makes you the expert on what **_I_ **need.” 

“You know I heard that Pieck was pretty popular. I bet she’ll find someone else in no time,” Ymir interjected casually. She sat back against the couch, with a look of disinterest as she scratched her chin. 

Such an offhanded comment, yet Yelena felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart, immediately breaking her out of her building rage.

_Pieck._

She broke eye contact to look back at the floor again, grinding her teeth. Deep down, when she stopped resisting, she knew they were both right. But the thought of opening herself up to that pain again, and for what? She really didn’t believe therapy would help. In her mind, it would just bring up senseless suffering. The more she mulled over the idea, the more her mind wandered to thoughts of her mom, granny and Pieck. All her happy memories seemed to be stained with an enveloping sadness that she pushed down the second any feelings bubbled up.

Pieck’s pained face after being rejected flashed before her mind's eye and it almost seemed more painful than the pain of missing her. She did that to someone she cared about, for what? Because she was too much of a coward to face her own fears and pain?

The trio sat in silence as Yelena processed everything. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat, _‘I’m pathetic.’_

“Fine.” Yelena whispered, “I’ll try.” She held her head in one hand, elbow resting on her knee, not looking up from the ground. She had a stabbing stress headache forming behind her eyes and she felt exhausted. Tired of fighting others and tired of fighting herself. If Onyankopon really believed this would help, if there was any chance she could find some semblance of peace... Yelena let out an unsteady breath. If she respected anyone’s opinion it was Onyankopon's. 

The tension in the room seemed to be deflating, much to Ymir’s relief. 

“There, now was that so bad?” Ymir said simply. She was just grateful they seemed to be making some progress. 

Yelena sat silently, the gears of her mind turning as she continued thinking of the small raven haired woman. Yelena felt a sudden strong need to see her. To apologize for rejecting her without an explanation. For freezing. For hurting the one person she couldn’t stand to hurt. 

Yelena stood up suddenly, “I have to go.” 

“Where are you going?” Ymir asked with a gesture of her hands, however, Yelena didn’t respond, disappearing out the door. 

  
Ymir looked at Onyankopon who could only offer her a shrug. Either way, Yelena seemed to be doing atleast somewhat better and Ymir figured they were out of the danger zone, atleast for now.

———-

  
  


Yelena stood outside Pieck’s door in the cold biting darkness. It was November and tiny sprinkles of snow had begun to dust the streets, weaving into her blonde hair with the gentle blowing wind. 

Yelena was just now realizing she hadn’t thought this thru at all. showing up unannounced, no phone, jacket or even a half decent outfit -still wearing her sweats and sweater-. She didn’t even know if Pieck was at home or work today. Or what time it was for that matter. 

Yelena sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. No, she _really_ didn’t think this thru at all. 

Maybe she should drive by the convenience store first to see if Pieck was working… or would that be creepy and stalkerish? Yelena's hands moved to the back of her head, ruffling the short hair and scratching her scalp. She hadn’t even really thought about what she was going to say. 

Maybe she should wait til tomorrow.. 

_‘I bet she’ll find someone else in no time’_ Ymir’s words echoed in her head, urging the blonde forward. 

She placed 3 evenly spaced knocks on the door then stood quietly and waited. _‘God I hope it’s not the middle of the night’_ Yelena thought anxiously. 

Nothing. 

Yelena sighed, accepting that maybe she would have to wait til tomorrow after all. However, just as she was about to turn to leave, the door shuddered open and Yelena's heart jumped into her throat. 

She looked over to see Pieck’s frail old man answer the door. His eyes seeming to have lightened up at the side of the blonde. 

“O-oh! Good evening. Is Pieck home?” Yelena squeaked out. 

“No she’s at a friends, she should be home soon though! Come in, come in!”

“Oh no, that’s okay. I can just talk to her tomorrow.” Yelena waved her hands in front of her, backing up. 

“No no, come on in. She won’t be long.” The man smiled, gesturing for Yelena to enter. 

Yelena stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before obliging. She didn’t want to be rude, especially since he was so insistent. But she felt terribly uncomfortable about this. 

“Why don’t you just wait up in her room? I’ll let her know you’re here when she gets in.” He said happily, making his way down the hall as Yelena entered the landing, closing the door behind her. She couldn't help but feel a little suspicious of the man, like he was up to something. Did he know what had happened? Did he know about her and Pieck? Yelena wasn't entirely sure how much Pieck told her father. She had always got the impression that Pieck didn't tell him much but... 

“O-okay” Yelena stammered out. She was too tired to function. Maybe she should just sneak out through the window once she got to Pieck’s room. 

_‘That would definitely be weird though, wouldn’t it?’_

Yelena made her way upstairs, seemingly on autopilot. She entered the quaint room, glancing around at the familiar space. Her heart was pounding and, unsure where to sit, she decided to take a seat on the floor by the bed to intrude as little as possible. 

‘ _WHAT AM I DOING!?!?’_ Her mind screamed after taking a seat. Yelena's eyes frantically wandered around the room. She felt bad, like she was invading Pieck’s privacy. But she didn’t know how to say no, Her brain was too exhausted to come up with excuses on the spot. And he had just been _so_ insistent. 

Yelena sighed heavily again. 

_‘I should just leave’_ she thought anxiously, leaning her head back against the bed making no effort to get up. Yelena stared at the ceiling, all sorts of thoughts bouncing around her mind as she waited patiently for the petite woman to return. 

She _should_ leave, but that didn't mean she wanted to. She felt like she couldn't survive another day without speaking to Pieck. It was too much. Yelena asserted that If she accomplished nothing else today but apologize, she would be okay with that. She just needed Pieck to know the rejection had nothing to do with her. It wasn't her fault. It was never her fault. She was just collateral damage to the mess that was Yelena's life. Just caught in the cross fire of years worth of trauma.

Yelena swallowed the lump in her throat, closing her eyes to center herself. 

She wanted Pieck. But would Pieck still want her? 

——-

Pieck walked briskly along the side walk as tiny snowflakes bounced off her cheeks. She hated the cold and wanted nothing more than to get out of it as quickly as possible. It wasn’t even snowing large fluffy snowflakes, but instead the tiny sharp ones that felt like mini daggers scratching her skin on a microscopic level. Ugh, it was going to be a long winter she thought. 

As she quickly came up to her street her eye caught on the familiar black car parked out by her house. Pieck's footsteps slowed as her eyes traced over the car curiously, _‘was that Yelena’s?’_ She thought with a furrowed brow, desperately trying to remember the make of the blonde’s vehicle to no avail. She shook her head as if to clear the ridiculous thought. _‘it couldn’t be, I’m just imagining things’_ she asserted as she continued to her door. She frowned as the steady ache in her chest flared up again at the thought of the looming woman. She desperately wished there was a way to censor her thoughts so she didn't have to constantly put herself through this terrible heartache every time something reminded her of Yelena. A look of sadness spread across her face as she walked up to the door of her house. 

Upon entering the warm embrace of home she shouted a hello to her dad while hanging up her coat. 

“Oh Pieck, Welcome home! You have a visitor. I sent her up to your room,” her father explained, poking his head out the kitchen doorway. 

Pieck’s heart skipped a beat.

“Oh?? Who?” She asked calmly, hiding the excitement in her chest. 

“Ack, I don’t remember her name. The polite one! Just go see.” He said with a smile and wave of his hand. Pieck stared quizzically at him before heading up the stairs. _Weird. He was acting weird._ Pieck's eyes narrowed. Sometimes she wondered if her dad knew more than he let on. 

The light from her open bedroom door bathed the hallway as Pieck came up to the top up the stairs, her heart pounding out of her chest. ‘ _it couldn’t be..’_

She peeked into her room to see the tall figure, legs outstretched on the floor, arms crossed and head tilted down, fast asleep. _Yelena…_ Her heart fluttered at the sight. 

Pieck stood in her doorway unsure what to do. Why was she here? Bold of her to show up at her house and sit in her room after their last interaction. But maybe that was one of the things Pieck found attractive about the beautiful woman. And she'd be lieing if she said she wasn't excited to see her. Pieck crept up to get a better look, make sure she wasn’t dreaming. 

It was definitely Yelena. Passed out, and unmoving. She looked peaceful, Pieck thought. 

The petite woman stood for a moment, debating on whether to wake the other woman up or leave her be. Ultimately she decided to let her sleep for now, taking a seat next to the blonde on the ground, close but not quite touching. However, her body longed for Yelena's warmth, eventually giving in and leaning in close enough that their sides touched lightly. It was comforting, like the warmth radiating off a cup of hot chocolate after a cold day in the snow. Comforting like coming home after an eternity away. 

Pieck let out a quiet breath, basking in the moment of reprieve from the aching in her chest. She sat like this for a bit before pulling her phone out of her pocket to scroll through any missed messages. She raised an eyebrow. 

Hey, if you’re not busy tomorrow, would you mind meeting me after school? I wanna talk to you about something. -(Porco Galliard) 21:24

Sure. -(Pieck) 21:54

‘ _Weird. What could he wanna talk about’_ Pieck wondered. 

Pieck’s deep brown eyes wandered back up to Yelena’s sleeping face. She admired the curves and intricacies of the blonde’s face before deciding to lean her body fully against Yelena’s. _God she missed her._ Pieck closed her eyes enjoying the moment of peace and silence, not knowing how long it would last. 

When Yelena awoke, she woke with a start, her body jerking to sit up straight, disturbing the dozing woman next to her. Yelena hadn’t realized she fell asleep, embarrassed and momentarily confused. 

“Oh you’re awake,” Pieck mumbled as if she hadn’t just woken up as well.

Yelena looked surprised at the small woman next to her, feeling blood rushing to her cheeks, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep!” She spoke quickly with a bow of her head. _When did Pieck get back? How long was she asleep for?_

“It’s no problem.” Pieck said simply, a moment of silence before continuing, “I suppose the more pressing matter is, what’re you doing here in the first place?” 

“Oh that.” Yelena stared at Pieck awkwardly remembering why she was there, she turned her body to face the smaller woman, “uhh” 

Yelena started fidgeting, suddenly feeling impossibly uncomfortable. She wanted to crawl out of her skin. 

Pieck waited patiently for the blonde's response. 

“You see,” Yelena gestured with her hand, “I wanted to apologize for Saturday. For how I responded.” 

Pieck remained silent. This wasn't really going how Yelena wanted, everything she had planned on saying vanishing completely from her stuttering brain and instead coming out as a jumbled, inarticulate mess. 

“I um. I’ve been thinking. And I would like it-“ Yelena could feel her cheeks and ears burning hot red as she tried to spit out the rest of what she was trying to say, “ifyouwouldbemygirlfriend.” 

Pieck’s eyes widened slightly, searching Yelena's eyes for any indication this was a joke. The gears in her mind turning, calculating. She had wondered if that was why Yelena was here and while awaiting for the blonde to wake up, Pieck had contemplated on what her response would be. What she wanted. What she would accept. What she _needed._

“Oh?” Pieck looked at Yelena, an expression of careful contemplation across her face. She weighed her next words meticulously, “you know, I’ve been thinking too.” 

Yelena's breath caught in her throat as her dark eyes stayed locked onto Pieck’s, “oh?” She responded trying to hide the nervous quiver in her voice. 

Pieck nodded before continuing, “I may have jumped the gun previously.” 

Yelena's heart raced at what felt like a million miles an hour, but remained quiet. Seconds felt like hours and she briefly wondered if Pieck was purposely dragging her answer out as a means of petty revenge for her previous misstep. 

“I’ve been thinking, in the two months I got to know you, I never really got to know you. We became intimate, and I got swept up in my emotions. You’re just so charming, you know?” Pieck smiled, “but it wasn’t fair. I opened up and you didn’t. Becoming exclusive seems to be jumping in too fast, I think” 

“Faster than sex after two weeks of knowing eachother?” Yelena quipped, words leaving her mouth before she had a chance to grasp them. She mentally winced at the shot. 

Pieck chuckled at this, not embarrassed nor hurt by the comment, “I suppose.”

An awkward silence lapsed between them before Yelena spoke. She felt light headed. 

“So. That’s it?” 

Pieck tilted her head a bit, “do you want that to be it?” 

Yelena raised an eyebrow not sure what Pieck was getting at. 

“Is there another option…?” Yelena's voice trailed off, eyebrows pressing together into a frown. 

“I was thinking I’d prefer something more casual than girlfriends. We could go on dates, take things slow, do things properly. _Really_ get to know eachother, you know? Show me you’re serious and not just locking me down for sex or something. When I said I want more I mean, I want to get to know you, all of you. What are you like in the morning? When you’re sick? What was your favorite show as a kid? Did your parents love you? I want to know everything about you.” 

Yelena pondered this anxiously, not entirely sure she understood what Pieck was getting at. 

“Soooooooo. You want to date but _not_ be exclusive?” Yelena ventured.

“Correct.” In Pieck’s mind, it made sense. She figured had they jumped into being girlfriends, Yelena could continue doing what she was doing before, evading questions, remaining cold and closed off about herself for as long as she pleased til the inevitable end of their relationship. And Pieck didn’t want that. It felt like she'd be setting herself up for failure and greater heartache in the long run. Atleast if they casually dated for a bit, she would have some indication how serious Yelena was about wanting to be with her and if they really liked eachother outside of sex and flirting. 

“Okayyy.” Yelena responded tentatively, still a look of confusion on her face, “so I’ll take you out for dates and?” 

“Only if you want to, that is.” 

“Of course I do!” Yelena's voice raised with enthusiasm before trailing off, “I just- I’ve never really dated anyone before.” 

Yelena's head turned, eyes dropping away to the side for the first time that night with Pieck. The thought scared her. What if she did it wrong? What if she wasn’t worthy? This felt an awful lot like she was setting herself up for rejection. Feelings and being vulnerable were all so uncomfortable. Despite everything, she was still terrified of opening herself up to anyone, even Pieck. _Especially Pieck._ Yelena felt a warm hand cup her cheek, guiding her back to Pieck’s face. 

“You’re over thinking this.” Pieck said softly, as if she could read Yelena's mind, “this will be fun. No strings attached or pressure. If you or I feel it’s not working, we can just go our separate ways.” 

That’s what Yelena was afraid of. Pieck ran a thumb along Yelena's lip before continuing quietly, voice barely above a whisper, “you know. You really hurt me the other day. I just need to know you’re serious before I open myself up like that again.” 

Yelena swallowed, feeling a sharp stab in her heart at Pieck’s words. She placed a hand over Pieck’s, pushing her face against it with closed eyes.

“I know,” she said, eyes -filled with remorse- looking back up into Pieck’s, “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” 

Pieck smirked, pinching Yelena's cheek playfully, “and if not, no harm no foul.” This garnered her a small frown from the handsome blonde. 

“Don’t be a brat.” Yelena murmured, a small blush betraying her face, secretly thankful for the lightening of the mood.

After a moment of silence Yelena then nodded, agreeing to Pieck's suggestion of casually dating.

"I would like that," She affirmed, grateful to be given another chance. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I'm so sorry for another massive chapter! I feel like it ended up being quite heavy, and I just really needed it to end on a somewhat lighter note aghh.  
> This chapter was difficult to write. I had to take a lot of breaks to write other fluff and draw happier things hahaha. 
> 
> Onyankopon has such big brother vibes ~ <3  
> Also, I like how Ymir and Onyankopon sorta contrast eachother, him being methodical and thoughtful and her being brash and straight to the point. I think they compliment eachother nicely and both provide Yelena with the support she needs (whether it be a swift kick in the ass or a compassionate and listening ear).
> 
> Also also, Pieck's dad totally knew. He knew Pieck liked Yelena. And he knew something had happened when Yelena stopped showing up and Pieck was depressed (despite her trying to hide it from him) which was why he was so happy and excited to see Yelena show up. He just wants his little girl to be happy ;-; ack. My heart.
> 
> Come shout at me on tumblr (Leksaa90) if you like! I'll never get tired of talking about this ship haha


	9. Maybe I'm a Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pieck and Yelena have their first official date <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of this chapter is from the song Liar by Ivan B. I thought it was fitting.

* * *

Pieck was taken aback. Never in a million years had she expected Porco to confess his feelings for her. How long had he had them for her? She had been completely oblivious. 

They walked together in silence as Pieck processed this new information. She didn’t know what to say. She had always looked at Porco like a brother. She loved him, but not like _that_ . She didn’t _think_ anyways. She supposed she’d never really thought about it before. 

“You don’t have to answer right now,” Porco quickly said, not wanting Pieck to feel pressured.

Pieck glanced up at him with tired eyes. He was good looking, well kept and had many traits she admired. But could she ever see him as something more?

“I’m sorry Porco, I’ve always looked at you like a brother. I’m not sure-“

“Let me take you out on a date! Just one! And you can decide after that?”

Pieck stared at him. One date? She supposed it couldn’t hurt to get rid of any doubts or what ifs. Technically her and Yelena weren’t officially in a relationship or anything. She wasn’t even sure if things would work out at all between them. Still, it felt wrong somehow.

She looked away thoughtfully unsure what to say. She also didn’t want to hurt Porco’s feelings by immediately rejecting him without even giving him a chance or second thought. What a precarious situation. 

“Can I think about it and get back to you?” She finally said, looking into Porcos eyes and seeing the glimmer of disappointment as the words left her mouth.

“Sure thing,” he responded softly. He had had a crush on Pieck for as long as he could remember but had always been nervous about confessing, worried it would ruin their friendship or make things awkward between them. However, after he had heard about Pieck's dalliances with Yelena and the inevitable end, he decided he had to act now before possibly missing his chance forever. He thought -or hoped rather- that maybe if she gave him a chance, she would be able to see him as something more than a friend.

They walked in silence for a few moments more before Porco left, citing he had forgotten something back at the school. Pieck figured he must have been embarrassed and feeling awkward after confessing, wanting to leave at any opportunity. She felt bad but she didn’t want to make any brash decisions on the spot. That wouldn’t be fair to anyone. 

Pieck hadn’t had a chance to tell her friends about what had happened with Yelena last night, and she was feeling a little bit guilty. 

And now this thing with Porco… 

Pieck frowned, looking down at the ground as her shoes crunched the dirty snow. Her social life sure seems to have gotten complicated recently. 

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, quickly sticking her hand into the soft fabric to fish it out. 

It was Yelena. 

Movies tonight? - (Y) 

I thought you had an appointment? -(P)

I do! But after that? -(Y) 

_‘Eager,’_ Pieck thought. Not that she was complaining however. She was feeling just as anxious to see the tall blonde again. 

Time? -(P) 

The two texted a bit more, sorting out the details as Pieck walked the rest of the way home, thankful for the distraction. 

——-

  
  


They had decided on dinner and a movie. Nothing too fancy, but fancier than anything they’d done together before. Now that Pieck thought about it, she supposed they’d never really been out together outside of school or work. 

That evening Pieck waited anxiously for Yelena to pick her up. Technically this was the first time she’d ever even been on a date with _anyone_ and she was surprisingly nervous. It felt more official than all the other times they had hung out somehow. 

_It’s just a casual thing. No pressure. Just casual_. She repeated this to herself like a mantra to try calm her nerves. 

She slowly blew out a breath of air, looking at herself in the mirror. She decided to put her hair up in a messy bun, something a little different but not overly so. For clothes she had opted for a white v neck T-Shirt, tights and her favorite beige cable knit cardigan. It was large on her, but comfy, and she figured it made her look extra cute. 

_Just casual, no pressure._

She exhaled, slouching over. She felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest, like an alien from one of the movies. Pieck nervously chuckled at the bizarre thought. 

Pieck checked her phone seeing Yelena had texted a few minutes earlier to say she was on her way. Pieck swallowed and decided to distract herself by hanging out with her dad downstairs. She didn’t know what else to do with herself, and if she stared into the mirror any longer she’d end up changing her outfit for the tenth time that evening. 

And she really didn’t want that. 

“Where you headed?” Her dad asked thoughtfully, as they sat together at the dinning room table having a cup of tea. He looked a little peppier today, Pieck thought. 

“Yelena and I are going out for dinner and a movie,” Pieck said calmly with a smile. 

“A date?” 

Pieck could feel her cheeks instantly flush with that warm familiar feeling of embarrassment. She was caught off guard by his assessment, initially assuming he would’ve just thought she was hanging out with a friend. She didn’t know why she was so shy about sharing these sorts of details with her dad, but it just felt uncomfortable. 

“Well-l Sorta. Yeah.” she stuttered out, earning a knowing laugh from her dad. 

“My little girl is growing up, your mom would be so happy,” he said with a warm smile. 

Pieck smiled back shyly, a bittersweet feeling overcoming her. _What would her mom think of Yelena?_ She wondered. _Would she like her?_

The question caught in her throat, and before she plucked up the courage to ask, her phone buzzed on the table. 

“Oh. She’s here,” Pieck said, quickly standing to head out. She dumped the rest of her tea in the sink and walked by her dad to plant a quick kiss on his head before leaving. 

“Have fun, stay outta trouble,” he said brightly. 

“Always.” Pieck smiled warmly.

And with that, Pieck slipped on her jacket and was out the door. 

The ground was littered with a soft dusting of snow from the night before, foot prints visible in the crisp white powder.

When Pieck exited her house, she could see Yelena -dressed in tailored black pants, white dress shirt, and a black pea coat- casually leaning up against her car, having a smoke. The tall blonde offered her a quick wave and Pieck could feel her heart skip, offering a small wave and smile of her own.

When she reached the car, Yelena put out her smoke before stepping to the side to open the passenger door. 

“Madam” she said, gesturing her hand to the open door, with a small bow. 

Pieck chuckled a bit, climbing into the passenger seat, “Thank you.” 

Pieck missed the soft blush that formed on the tall blonde’s cheeks as she observed Pieck’s tied up hair and delicate neck, a few stray strands caressing the pale skin there. Yelena swallowed, pushing away any naughty thoughts. 

_‘Be good’_ Yelena thought to herself _._

Upon entering the car, Pieck noted the smell of clean leather and cigarettes. Pieck figured she was of the small majority in that she actually liked the smell of stale smoke. She had grown familiar with the scent -attributing it to the handsome blonde- and had begun to find some comfort in it. 

Initially, there was an awkward silence as the two drove to their destination -a sit down chain restaurant close to the movie theatre- both women nervous. 

“Your hair looks good up,” Yelena said with an even voice, doing her best to feign confidence. Inside her heart was pounding and she could feel a thin film of sweat on her palms. She felt silly for being so nervous with Pieck, but was so worried about messing things up. 

Pieck smiled, “thank you. Thought I’d try something different for our first date.” As she said this, she touched her hair to muse it a bit. 

Yelena hummed her approval before the two lapsed into silence again. 

“Have you eaten at this restaurant before?” 

“I don't think I have,” Yelena answered, “you?” 

“When I was a kid we’d come here sometimes, as a family day sorta thing, you know?” Pieck explained. 

“Mm,” Yelena responded. She didn’t know. She had never had family days growing up, though she didn’t really want to say that. She wasn’t too interested in getting into that sort of conversation right now. 

Pieck looked at Yelena thoughtfully, who maintained her eyes on the road despite seeing Pieck out of the corner of her eye. She knew Pieck was probably curious about her lack of an answer and she knew she had promised to be more open but- 

“So you’ll be able to tell me what’s good to get,” Yelena continued with a smirk in an attempt to keep the heat off herself. 

Pieck smiled, “it has been awhile, remember. So don’t hold it against me if the foods not how I remember it.” 

“ _It’ll be fine as long as I can have you for desert_ ” was what Yelena _wanted_ to say, but decided against it, not sure if it was appropriate given the current circumstances of their relationship.

Yelena was finding it strange and somewhat difficult to navigate their new friendship after having previously been so intimate. Was she supposed to pretend like they hadn’t been sleeping together just a week ago? Would Pieck be upset with her if she was too flirty? 

The rest of the drive to the restaurant was uneventful, some small talk sprinkled in between bouts of silence as the two girls struggled to regain their former comfort levels. 

They sat in a booth across from each other at the restaurant, Yelena holding up a large menu to her face, trying to decide what she wanted. She peeked over the top to look at Pieck who played on her phone while waiting for the waiter to come back to take their orders. 

Yelena stared at the petite woman’s face, admiring the smooth, alabaster skin of her date, remembering how it felt on her finger tips. Just then, Pieck’s dark brown eyes fluttered up, catching Yelena’s. The blonde didn’t flinch or bother to look away. 

“What are you getting?” She asked coolly. 

“The Soup and salad special,” Pieck responded, holding contact. 

Yelena nodded with a “hm,” Eyes flitting back to her menu. Soup and salad sounded rather boring, in her opinion. However, the more she mulled over it the more she figured maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea considering they were going to a movie right after and would probably be eating popcorn and snacks there. 

Yelena folded her menu, placing it ontop of Pieck’s at the edge of the table, the universal sign of being ready to order. 

Pieck looked at Yelena with a quizzical look.

“Soup and Salad,” Yelena responded simply. 

“Copycat,” Pieck teased with a smirk. 

“The highest form of flattery, you know” the tall woman responded without skipping a beat. 

This earned a chuckle from Pieck. She absolutely adored Yelena for her quick wit. 

The rest of their time at the restaurant went smoother, as the two began to find their groove again.

After finishing their meal, a brief argument broke out between the two about payment.

“It’s the rules.”

“It’s _not_ , you're making that up!” Pieck said, her voice raising slightly. 

“Am not, look it up. It’s proper etiquette.” Yelena affirmed, “The person who asks someone out on a date, pays.” 

Pieck rolled her eyes, “ _Please_ , that’s so outdated. Nobody follows that anymore.” 

Yelena shrugged.

“Guess it doesn’t really matter since I already paid.” She said with a mumble and shift of her eyes. She knew it would be a point of contention, and had excused herself to the bathroom earlier to sneak off and pay. She was mentally patting herself on the back for that now. 

“Yelena!” 

This gained Pieck a cocky smirk from the handsome blonde, causing a rush of excitement to run up Pieck’s spine. 

“You’re terrible,” Pieck said, a hint of humour in her voice as she tapped her foot lightly against Yelena's calf from underneath the table. 

“All’s fair in love and war, sweetheart,” Yelena quipped, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers, leaning in closer to Pieck. 

Pieck gave her an unimpressed look and a shake of the head, much to Yelena's amusement. 

“We better go so we don’t miss the previews,” Pieck responded, getting up from her seat to get her jacket on. Yelena grinned, figuring she’d won that argument. She followed Pieck shortly after and the two made their way to the theatre.

Since Yelena knew how much Pieck loved horror movies, she suggested seeing a new film called “The Escape Room.” Yelena thought it looked interesting enough. Apparently it was based on the concept of an escape room except the contestants lives dependent on them solving the puzzles to get out. 

_‘And if it’s scary maybe Pieck will cuddle up close to me,’_ she had thought blissfully when buying the tickets online.

Similar to before, they opted to share a large popcorn with M&Ms sprinkled in and a large drink. Neither of them saw much point in buying separate drinks when they had shared enough bodily fluids previously as it was. 

They got into the theatre just in time for the previews, much to Pieck’s giddy excitement. She loooooved watching the previews -why else would anyone go to a theatre to watch movies?- she had once said. 

Once the movie started Yelena decided she wasn’t patient enough to wait and see if the movie would get scary enough for Pieck to cuddle up with her. Feeling bold, she decided to wrap an arm around Pieck’s shoulders right at the beginning, partly curious to see how the short woman would react and desperately hoping she would accept. Much to her pleasure -and relief-, Pieck leaned in close, pressing her body back against Yelena’s. Thankfully, the new theatres had armrests that could be folded back, making it easy to snuggle up close. 

Pieck munched on the popcorn as she intently watched the movie with Yelena occasionally reaching in with her free hand to steal a few pieces here and there.

The movie wasn’t so much as scary as it was suspenseful, watching characters slowly die one by one, like any _good_ horror movie worth it’s salt. Pieck and Yelena had made bets at the beginning of the movie on who they thought would survive to the end. 

Yelena ended up winning that bet, much to her enjoyment. 

After the movie they walked back to the car, hand in hand as Yelena sipped on their shared drink, holding it in her free hand.

“So what do I win?” She asked between slurps. 

“Is it really winning if it was just a lucky guess?” Pieck said with a smirk. 

“It was a cold and calculated observation,” Yelena defended. 

“Pfffft hardly.” Pieck squeezed Yelena's hand in her own petite one. 

“Hmph, I see how it is.” 

“Oh?”

“You’re a sore loser” as Yelena said this, she leaned in close to Pieck’s face with a squint of her eyes. 

“Am not!” Pieck said, bumping against Yelena with her hips playfully, earning a chuckle from the commanding woman.

“Mhmm.” Yelena hummed just as they reached her car. Reluctantly, she let go of Pieck’s hand to open the door for the petite woman. As Pieck climbed into the passenger seat, she had to admit, she was disappointed to let go of the blonde's hand, already missing it’s warmth.

They drove back to Pieck’s place, talking idly about the movie and whatever else came to mind. Their conversation came easy now, much to their relief. 

Yelena pulled up to Pieck’s street, expertly parking the car in front of her house. 

Pieck spoke once the vehicle was shifted into park, “Okay. You win one kiss,” as she said this, she turned her body to face the blonde holding up her index finger. 

“Just one?” 

“Take it or leave it,” Pieck said, crossing her arms and tilting her head away, pretending to play hard to get. 

“You’re a mercenary.” Yelena remarked. 

Pieck smirked, eyes glancing over to the Handsome blonde in the driver seat. 

“Can it be in the lips?” Yelena asked hopefully. 

Pieck looked up thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her finger before responding with a nod. “I’ll allow it. Just cuz you’re so good at guessing,” This earned her a roll of the eyes from the tall blonde.

“Gee thanks,” Yelena responded sarcastically. This earned her a chuckle from the petite woman which caused Yelena to smile. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of hearing that laugh. 

Yelena turned her body to face Pieck, which was somewhat awkward in her car as there was a gear shifter and accessory compartment between them. However, she made the best of it. 

Yelena made a “come here” motion with her finger, to indicate for Pieck to move closer. Pieck obliged happily, leaning in close. It was a struggle for Yelena to hide her eagerness as she reached out to caress Pieck’s face with her fingertips. Yelena then ran her thumb along Pieck’s lips before sliding her hand back to thread her wiry digits into the tied back raven hair of the shorter woman. Pieck felt a shiver run up her spine at the feeling of Yelena’s fingers gently grasping her scalp and she was already holding her breath. 

Yelena pulled Pieck in, tilting her head so her lips could claim their prize.

And as their lips touched, both women’s eyes closed in unison. Yelena’s breath caught in her throat as soon as she felt Pieck’s soft velvet lips against hers and she suddenly wished she could kiss her forever. 

It was gentle. Warm. And Pieck could feel her cheeks heating up as all her blood seemed to rush to her head, making her feel intoxicated. She felt Yelena’s mouth open, tongue pressing against her lips, seeking entrance. Pieck eagerly obliged, inhaling sharply as their tongues connected and she could’ve sworn she heard a quiet moan escape from the blonde. Pieck felt a fire in the pit of her stomach, reaching her hand up to grasp Yelena’s slender neck, trying to pull her in closer, wanting as much of her as she could get. Pieck felt the grip on the back of her head tighten. 

Lewd, wet kissing noises filled the otherwise quiet car as the two women's lips moved against eachothers. Yelena loved the feeling of electricity that ran up her spine every time their tongues touched, and it was getting difficult to think straight from the rush of excited hormones that filled her body. However -much to her disappointment- she needed to breathe, and had to pull away to let out the breath she had been holding, breaking the kiss. 

As they caught their breath, Yelena cracked her eyes open to look at Pieck, cheeks flushed and eyes glossy. For the first time she noticed Pieck’s hand on her neck, thumb gently grazing her throat which sent tingles of excitement through her nerves. Yelena leaned in, attempting to steal another kiss but, to her disappointment, Pieck pulled away with a teasing smirk. 

“Just one, remember?” she said. 

Yelena pouted, dropping her forehead against Pieck’s shoulder. 

“No fair. I can only hold my breath for so long,” The tall woman muttered, feeling Pieck’s hand run up her neck and into her hair, soothingly playing with the blonde locks there. 

Pieck wanted more. She wanted Yelena to take her completely and to get lost in the passion of making love and having sex with the gorgeous woman. However, her mind stopped her, urging her to take things slow and not get swept up in her emotions again. Unfortunately, she was finding it incredibly difficult to say no to the alluring woman. But she really wanted this to work, and she knew what she needed for that to happen, so, her raging hormones would just have to take a back seat for awhile. 

They stayed silent for a few moments as Pieck continued running her fingers through Yelena's hair -who seemed to be greatly enjoying the soothing sensation- coming down from her lustful high. Yelena nuzzled her face against Pieck’s neck, letting out a relaxed sigh. She loved it when people played with her hair, all her worries and anxieties disappearing. She changed her mind, deciding maybe she’d rather they stay like _this_ forever instead. The middle console was digging into her side, but she didn’t care. She just wanted this moment to never end. For Pieck to never leave.

Yelena’s heart stuttered, a feeling of fear washing over her. 

“I should probably go, it’s getting late,” Pieck whispered reluctantly. If she didn’t leave now, she would lose _all_ will power. 

Yelena could feel a pain in her heart, a gripping fear that could swallow her whole if she allowed it to. It felt like, if Pieck went out that door, she’d never see her again and Yelena could feel her breath catch in her throat. 

Yelena swallowed dryly as her heart began to race, but sat up straight to allow the smaller woman to go. She could feel her mind mentally shutting down in a desperate attempt to protect itself.

Pieck could feel something in the air change. An uneasiness that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The raven haired woman looked up into Yelena’s eyes trying to make sense of the shift, but the tall woman averted her gaze, exiting the car to get the door for Pieck. 

When the passenger door opened, a palm reached out for Pieck to grasp and the raven haired woman took it gently in her small hand allowing Yelena to assist her out of the car. 

As she stood, Pieck eyed the blonde curiously, whose face remained stone still. 

Yelena shut the passenger door gently before speaking, “well it’s been fun.” She said with a small smile. 

Pieck nodded, “thank you for taking me out tonight. It was lovely.” She did her best to hide her concern, still not entirely sure if she was imagining it or being paranoid. 

“Anytime.” Yelena’s voice was cold, like all emotion had left it. 

_'No, something was definitely wrong.'_ Pieck debated on leaving but Yelena's shift in mood nagged her. 

“Are you okay?” Pieck watched Yelena's expression carefully, noticing a glint of _something_ in her eyes at the question. It was so subtle Pieck almost wondered if she imagined it. 

“Of course,” Yelena smiled -a fake smile-. A smile Pieck hadn’t seen since their first interaction at the convenience store. The type of smile she saw Yelena make at the girls that vied for her attention. It made her desperately uneasy. 

Pieck hummed her acknowledgment, eyes staring at the tall figure before her. She stepped forward to wrap her arms around Yelena. The hug was as much for her as it was for the blonde. She felt arms encircle around her gently and Pieck swallowed. She didn’t know what happened, it seemed so sudden, but she knew something was wrong and she hugged the blonde tightly almost as if to say ‘I’m here’. There was an uneasy fear in her heart, but she wasn’t sure what to do. Yelena wasn't opening up to her. 

Yelena was the first to let go. 

“You should get inside before you catch a cold,” she whispered and Pieck nodded against her chest, suddenly, desperately, wanting Yelena to come with her. 

“See you tomorrow?” Pieck asked quickly, reluctantly letting go. 

“Of course.” 

There was that smile again, and Pieck was starting to despise it as she mentally cursed Yelena for using it on her. 

  
  


———

  
  


Swerved tire tracks disturbed the otherwise placid snow, leading up to a car pulled over on the side of the road on some random residential street. 

She didn’t make it home before the tight grip of anxiety clutched and strangled her throat. 

Yelena stood outside her car, bent over and gasping for air, panic filling every cell of her being. She had no idea what triggered her so badly -a mental block erected in her mind- but she couldn’t breathe and it frightened her.

Her lungs screamed desperately for air, a burning sensation filling them. 

She was hyperventilating now, eyes watering as she stood hunched over, alone in the stillness of the night. Her hands were clenched so tight her nails were digging into the skin of her palms.

_‘Unprocessed trauma will eat you alive,’_ Onyankopon’s words rang in her mind.

She inhaled sharply, unable to let her breath leave completely before inhaling again. She felt like she was drowning, tears streaming freely down her face. 

Usually she could calm herself down, but this time it wasn’t working and the panic only grew, enveloping her in it’s terrifying embrace. 

She gasped again desperately, whimpers leaving her throat. 

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t **_breathe._ **

The world around her was beginning to darken as her vision blurred. Her head was buzzing, feeling heavy and she was sure this was it-

She was going to die. 

And then-

everything went black. 

  
  


——

  
  


The little girl sobbed with her face buried into the old woman’s lap, gentle fingers stroking her straw blonde hair. 

“There, there darling. Let it all out,” the old woman whispered soothingly. 

“They- were-“ Yelena whimpered, voice cracking as she spoke, ending in a squeak as her vocal chords constricted, “just so mean.” Her tiny hands gripping tightly to the old woman’s skirt, eyes clamped shut as the tears flowed. 

“Kids can be _so_ cruel sometimes,” the nanny spoke gently, letting Yelena cry as she continued brushing her hair with her fingertips. It always did aid in calming her down. 

Yelena nodded, short heavy breaths stuttering out as they escaped her lungs.

“You’ll be okay though, I promise,” the woman said soothingly, fingers brushing hair out of the child’s face as she turned to look up at her granny, eyes red and puffy. It had been a bad day at school, and she had already been crying when she walked through the doors of the mansion, immediately running towards her room. 

It was unlike Yelena to run off without saying hello, and Granny had known immediately that something was wrong. Yelena had always been one to try and hide when she was upset, uncomfortable showing her emotions around anyone. But with a little gentle coaxing, she eventually opened up. 

“How about you change into some pjs, and we’ll cuddle up on the couch to watch a movie?” The old woman suggested with a warm smile. 

Yelena glanced down thoughtfully before nodding slightly in agreement. 

“Splendid! I’ll get some water boiling for a hot cocoa, and you get changed, alright?” The old woman said excitedly. 

Yelena nodded again, already starting to feel a bit better. 

  
  


——-

  
  


When Yelena came to, she was met with bland white walls and the periodic sound of beeping. Her eyes searched around the room, confused. She couldn’t remember where she was or how she got there, however she felt an odd calmness across her body, and a haziness in her mind. 

_What happened?_ Her eyebrow furrowed. 

She turned her head to see Onyankopon sitting in a chair, passed out with arms crossed and head tilted back. _That couldn’t be comfortable_. Yelena thought before turning her head to look up at the ceiling. 

_‘The hospital’_ she thought. It was the only thing that made sense. She held up her arm to see an IV sticking in her hand, blood running back into the plastic tubing from gravity, mixing with the clear liquid of saline. She placed her hand on her forehead. 

Why was she in the hospital though? 

Did she get into a car accident? 

No _._

_No._

The beeping of the heart rate monitor started to pick up as her memory came flooding back. She was on the side of the road and then-

Yelena blew out air slowly through her nose, the beeping of the monitor following suit shortly after. She remembered a man talking to her, asking her questions. And paramedics. And blood? 

Yelena turned her head to look over at Onyankopon again. 

What time was it? 

And where was her phone? 

She felt around the bed, under the thin blanket. 

_Nothing._

She sighed, closing her eyes. 

She felt so tired. 

Why was all of this happening now? 

  
  


\--------------

  
  


Pieck stood awkwardly outside the hospital, staring up at the tall, looming building. All her worst memories and greatest stresses originated here.

It was the place her mother drew her last breath. Where her father was diagnosed with his lung disease. And where thousands of dollars that they didn’t have got poured into. 

It was the place that made her poor and the place that broke her heart. 

She **_hated_ ** this place. 

Pieck swallowed before forcing herself forward, entering through the sliding glass doors. She already knew where she needed to go, not bothering to ask for directions from the information desk. 

She entered the elevator, pushing the worn out button with her finger to go to the 7th floor. 

She had come directly after school, since it made the most sense with the way the busses worked. Or atleast, that’s what she told herself. If she was being honest, she just needed to see Yelena. To see she was okay. Onyankopon had said as much, but she needed to see it for herself.

She was nervous, though she hid it well. She worried how Yelena would react with her showing up. Would she be mad? Embarrassed? 

Pieck had known something was wrong last night, and she mentally kicked herself for not trying harder to coax it out of the tall blonde. 

She just needed to know she was okay. And if Yelena wanted her to leave after that, then that was fine. 

Pieck had always assumed Yelena was intentionally secretive out of an arrogance or desire to keep people out of her inner circle. But she now wondered if it was so much deeper than that. Something less sinister and more about survival. 

  
  


\------ 

  
  


“A panic attack?” Pieck’s voice raised slightly, shock apparent in her tone and the expression across her face. 

The tall black man scratched the back of his head, shifting uncomfortably. 

“Yeah. Pretty severe according to the doctor. They’re going to keep her for a few days to run some more tests, make sure they didn’t miss anything. And do a psych evaluation.” 

Pieck stared at Onyankopon, mind processing the information. She felt a stabbing pain in her heart. 

“Where is she?” 

  
  


\------- 

  
  


Pieck felt terrible. Terrible for pushing Yelena to open up. Terrible for rejecting her when she didn’t. Terrible for everything. She had no idea the blonde had been struggling so much. Pieck felt a lump in her throat, looking down at the scuffed up elevator floor as the door opened to let more people in. 

What had Yelena been through? She carried herself so well. You’d never think anything of it. Pieck had always figured there was something more to the blonde, but never anything like this. Pieck had known about the abusive nanny, and lack of a mother but-

The elevator shuttered to a stop, doors opening to the 7th floor. Pieck glanced up, stepping out into the hallway. It smelt of cleaner and BO. 

Pieck checked in at the desk before making her way to the room number Onyankopon had given her. He seemed hesitant at first when she asked for it, but quickly relented. 

Pieck stood outside the door for a moment, steeling her nerves before pushing it open. A she did so, she briefly wondered if maybe she should’ve knocked first, but it was too late now. 

The room was bright with sunlight basking the white walls, much brighter than the unnaturally lit hospital hall leading up to the room, and it took Pieck’s eyes a second to adjust. When they did, she could see the tall blonde sitting in the bed, reclined into an upright position rubbing her forehead with her fingers. 

When she had passed out she had apparently knocked her forehead against the car, splitting open the skin when it met the cold metal. Nothing serious, but they had glued the wound shut and Yelena wondered if she would end up with a scar. 

Yelena’s head turned to look at who entered the room, half expecting it to be the nurse again. 

Her eyes widened when she saw Pieck in the doorway, who stood like a deer caught in the headlights. 

“Pieck?” her voice rasped out. 

There was a moment of silence, Pieck's brain stuttering. When Yelena looked at her, it had felt like she got hit by a train, temporarily shorting out her thoughts before she was suddenly filled with a blind rage.

“You’re such an _asshole_!” Pieck burst out angrily -much to her own surprise- “You lied! You said you were fine!” 

Pieck suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion, like everything she had ever felt came rushing out all at once. Her face contorted in pain, quickly covering it with her hands and turning away as she began to cry. The rage she had initially felt began to morph into a different monster, one that quietly whispered it's true name was fear, and Pieck was overcome by it, along with a cocktail of guilt and sadness. 

Pieck soon felt warm arms encircle her, pulling her in for a tight hug. And Pieck was mad -wanting to pull away- but her body betrayed her, leaning into the tall body as she sobbed uncontrollably, face still buried in her hands. She felt like her heart was being torn to pieces and it somehow seemed to hurt worse than when they had broken up. 

“I’m sorry” she heard the voice whisper hugging her tighter as if to keep her from falling apart.

  
_“I’m so sorry.”_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh the summary made it sound like this was going to be such a happy chapter, whoops.  
> Our girls are havin a real rough time, aren't they ;-; I feel for them.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Unsteady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pieck and Yelena open up to eachother allowing themselves to be vulnerable in front of the other and seek comfort.   
> Later, Pieck learns briefly of Yelena's past and hears some of Ymir's thoughts on the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of chapter: Unsteady by X Ambassadors. The tone and chorus of this song felt fitting for this chapter, something sort of somber yet comforting? IMO anyways (I dunno if anyone checks out the songs I've been recently mentioning for each chapter TBH hahaha but figured I'd mention it for anyone who's curious).

* * *

Pieck sat awkwardly in the visitors chair, eyes glued to the ground as the nurse worked to put a new IV into Yelena’s arm -having accidentally ripped out the last one when she jumped out of bed to comfort Pieck-. Drops of blood littered the floor and Pieck’s uniform. 

Pieck could feel the blonde staring at her, but she was too afraid to look up, listening to the snap of the tourniquet release as the nurse secured the IV in Yelena’s arm with some tape, a spot slightly higher than the last one. Lucky for her, her veins were an easy poke and the nurse had no trouble at all. Yelena felt the cold fluid of the saline bag begin entering her vein again, a bizarre sensation that quickly blended into nothingness as her body adjusted to the feeling. 

“There. Please be more careful, Yelena. You don’t want to keep getting poked now do you?” the nurse said, sounding like a mother scolding her child for tracking dirt in the house. 

“Sorry.” Yelena responded simply.

The nurse nodded with approval, snapping her gloves off to toss them into the nearby garbage, “Good. I’ll be back in a few hours to check up on you. Just ring the call bell if you need anything before then.”

Yelena nodded, and with that the nurse was out the door, leaving the two women alone in silence. 

Yelena stared at Pieck -who firmly kept her eyes down-, not sure what to say. She felt terrible for worrying Pieck and making her cry. 

“Pieck I-” 

“I’m sorry” Pieck interrupted, feeling tears burn her eyes again. 

“No, you have nothin-”

“I do!” Pieck looked up, eyes meeting Yelena’s, “I had no idea you were suffering so much. I was being selfish. Self centered. Only thinking about myself and  _ my _ feelings. What  _ I _ wanted. I just wanted so badly for you to open up to me. I didn’t kno-” Pieck’s voice broke again as she bit back tears, face averting down as she hunched over in the chair. 

“I thought- I thought you were being secretive on purpose. I thought it was because you didn’t like me, or you were just using me. I assumed it was malicious. I didn’t know how bad you were hurting.” Pieck finally said, “I assumed the worst of you. I’m so sorry.” her voice cracked as tears started to spill out again. The guilt was eating her alive. 

Pieck could hear the shuffling of fabric, then, cold hands taking hers. Pieck glanced up, a stray tear falling down her cheek. Yelena sat over the side of the bed, bare feet on the ground, leaning in close to Pieck. Face inches away from hers. Yelena held Pieck’s hands in hers, squeezing them reassuringly. 

“Please stop blaming yourself,” Yelena said softly, “You didn’t know. I didn’t tell you. What were you supposed to think?” 

Yelena took Pieck’s hands, bringing them up to gently plant a kiss on them. 

“I’m sorry for leaving you in the dark.” she murmured against Pieck’s skin. 

Pieck glanced up to look at Yelena’s face. She looked tired and withered. Pieck wondered if it was the hospital gown that made her look so ill or all the stress of whatever was eating away at her mind. Pieck swallowed, not sure what to say. 

“I-” Yelena choked on her words, taking a second to regain her voice, “I think something’s wrong with me.”

As she spoke, she tilted her head down against her hands -which still held onto Pieck’s-, ashamed to show her face. Pieck could feel her heart breaking to see Yelena in such pain, she wished she could take it all away. 

Pieck moved her hands to grasp Yelena’s face, pulling her close, “There’s nothing wrong with you. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but you’re going to be okay.”

“I’m scared,” the blonde whispered. She wasn’t ready to face those demons, afraid the damage was permanent. Afraid she would always be like  _ this. _

“It’s okay to be scared, I’m here.” Pieck pulled Yelena’s head to her shoulder to wrap her arms around the blonde. 

“I’m here.” Pieck repeated, voice cracking. 

  
  


\---

  
  


Pieck didn’t sleep much that night. It seemed like this was becoming a common occurrence and she briefly wondered what she was thinking ever getting involved with  _ anyone.  _

She sighed, turning over in her bed. She was worried about Yelena. 

_ ‘Was she really going to be okay?’ _ Pieck had said it in the moment to reassure the tall woman, but Pieck worried what if it wasn’t true. Sometimes things can’t be fixed. 

Pieck’s mind drifted to the last time she saw her mom, tubes in her throat to keep her breathing, face bruised and swollen beyond recognition. She remembered how she had been picked up from school that day by her aunt, the panic in her face as they rushed to the hospital. 

_ ‘There’s been an accident, but it’s going to be okay. We’re going to get to the hospital and your mom’s going to be fine.’  _ her aunt had said, seemingly trying to reassure herself as much as Pieck. 

_ ‘We did everything we could, but the damage was too extensive,’  _ The doctor had said as their family stood in the small ICU room.

Pieck remembered watching the machines be shut off. Her father crying. The last shudder of the ventilator. 

That memory was forever burned into her mind. 

Life was a cruel mistress, Pieck thought. 

  
  


\-------

  
  


“Are you okay?” Annie asked. 

“No.” Pieck answered honestly, looking over at her friend. She was too tired to pretend to be anything else. 

“What happened?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Pieck murmured. 

Annie looked at Pieck with concern, the raven haired woman looking away. Annie reached an arm around Pieck’s shoulder to pull her in for a side hug. 

“I’ll be here when you’re ready,” she affirmed and Pieck appreciated the gesture and space. 

\--------

  
  


Pieck went back to the hospital that day to see how Yelena was doing. Just as she was about to enter Yelena’s room she heard -what sounded like- an angry male voice. Curious, she cracked the door slightly to peak in almost worried maybe Yelena had been moved to a different room. 

Through the crack she could see a tall, well dressed, older gentleman standing next to Yelena’s bed. Yelena wore a face of indifference. 

“Why am I hearing about this from Clarissa and not you!?” 

“I didn’t think you’d have the time,” came Yelena’s callous response. 

“What’s that supposed to mean? Of course I have the time for you! You’re my damn daughter!” It was clear the man was quite angry and Pieck was surprised to hear it was Yelena’s dad. She felt bad for eavesdropping, but couldn’t tear herself away. 

“Oh, that’s strange. You never seemed to have had the time before,” Yelena quipped back nonchalantly with a gesture of her hand. 

“ _ Yelena. _ ” He said threateningly. 

“What? Hit a sore spot?” Yelena said with a arrogant smirk. 

“After everything I’ve given you, you talk to me like this!?” 

“Everything you’ve given me? heh.” this seemed to have struck a chord with the blonde. 

“All  _ you _ gave me…” Her voice went low before picking up, ”was an empty house and a lifetime of trauma because you were too  _ FUCKING _ busy with your career to be a goddamn  _ FATHER _ ” her voice dripped with contempt now, “Who do you think  _ YOU _ are to come in here and lecture  _ ME  _ and play father  _ NOW!? HUH!? _ ” 

“Yelena I-”

“ _ NO!  _ You want to talk!? Let’s talk!! You wanna talk about my mother!? You wanna talk about that cunt of a babysitter you were FUCKING while she beat your daughter!? No?? What about the one good thing in my life that I HAD TO FIND DEAD ON THE FUCKING KITCHEN FLOOR!!” Yelena’s voice got choked up at the last statement, her fists clenched and shaking with rage.

Pieck’s eyes widened, suddenly thinking she heard too much. 

“I-”

“ **_Get out._ ** ” 

“Yele-”

“ **_NOW!_ ** ” She hit her fist to her knee to accentuate the finality of her statement. 

Pieck quickly stepped away from the door, moving to casually lean against the wall like she hadn’t just been eavesdropping. 

The door swung open with the tall man walking through, frustration and defeat on his face. Pieck stared up at the gruff looking man as he passed by, who only briefly glanced down at her before continuing down the hall. 

Pieck stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to do. Should she go in and pretend like she hadn’t heard anything? Should she go home and come back later to give Yelena some space? 

_ ‘Well either way, that explains a lot’  _ Pieck thought, having learnt more about Yelena in the last 5 minutes than she had in years. 

“What are you doing?” 

Pieck nearly jumped out of her skin, looking towards the voice.  _ Ymir.  _

“N-nothing” Pieck stuttered. 

Ymir narrowed her eyes, a look of skepticism on her face. 

“Oh you brought me a coffee! How sweet,” Pieck squeaked out, gesturing at the Starbucks in Ymir’s hands, a sad attempt to change the subject. 

Ymir sweatdropped, “Well if I had known you were here…” 

Ymir started to walk to the room when Pieck quickly grabbed her arm to pull her back, “wait.” This earned her a quirk of the eyebrow from the freckled skinned woman. 

“Uh.” Pieck fidgeted uncomfortably before confessing, “I may have overheard something I shouldn’t have.”

“Oh?” 

Pieck nodded frantically. 

“Well out with it. What did you hear?” 

“Everything, I think?” Pieck said, “I don’t know what to do. I was eavesdropping and I know I shouldn’t have but it was an accident!” Her last few words came out rushed and jumbled together. 

“How do you “accidentally” eavesdrop?”

Pieck awkwardly smirked, eyes falling away to the ground.  _ She had her there.  _

“Just say I told you,” Ymir responded nonchalantly with a shrug. 

“Hm?” Pieck looked at her with confusion. 

“She’ll be mad for a little bit, but she’ll get over it.” Ymir said, unconcerned before continuing with a smirk “Do it now while she’s drugged up and chilled out.” 

Pieck looked at Ymir unconvinced. 

“ _ Chill, _ it’s fine. Jeez you people are all so serious all the time.” Ymir shook her head exasperatedly. “C’mon, she’ll wanna see you too.” She said with a tilt of her head. 

And with that, Ymir entered the room, Pieck following immediately after. 

“Hey, Look who’s awake!” Ymir said excitedly. Yelena looked at the freckle skinned woman unamused with a rather grouchy expression across her face. Pieck couldn’t blame her though, considering what she had overheard. 

“And look who I brought along, your favorite person <3” Ymir wrapped an arm around Pieck’s shoulder, urging her forward. 

“H-Hi” Pieck squeaked out with an awkward small wave of her hand. She noticed Yelena’s face instantly softened a bit upon seeing her, however, she only offered a grunt in response.

“Sooooooo. I may have told Pieck -like- everything.” 

Pieck’s eyes widened, slowly moving to glance at Ymir.  _ WHAT WAS SHE DOING. _

“Excuse me?” Yelena asked, eyebrows furrowing deep.

“It just sort of came out and you know, one thing led to another,” Ymir shrugged, “but I brought you a latte to make up for it!” 

Ymir offered her a large smile. 

Yelena sighed irritably with a shake of her head, “Whatever.”

She wasn’t in the mood to fight and she was much too tired to care about anything anymore. 

“Wow those must be some good drugs they’re giving you, mind sharing?” 

This earned her a glare but Ymir just laughed it off as she passed Yelena her drink, who accepted despite her less than stellar mood. 

Pieck later noted how close of friends they must be to be able to openly interact with eachother so honestly. Ymir wasn’t afraid to upset Yelena and Yelena wasn’t shy about showing her frustrations. Pieck yearned for that sort of honesty, sometimes being too much of a people pleaser herself, always over thinking her thoughts and actions and how they affected those around her. 

Ymir pulled up a chair to sit next to Yelena’s bed, immediately chattering away at her. Yelena looked exhausted, not offering up much for conversation but sitting and listening no less as she sipped on the vanilla bean latte. 

“Are you going to sit down?” Ymir asked.

“Hm? Oh.” Pieck looked around the room, “there’s no chair.”

“Yelena has a mighty fine lap over here,” Ymir said with a big grin, patting Yelena's thigh.

Yelenas face instantly turned red, swatting Ymir’s hand away, “fuck off Ymir” she muttered under her breath. 

“Hey I’m being a good wingman, what are you bitching for?” Ymir responded, palm turning up to the ceiling. 

“I don’t need your help!!” Yelena whisper shouted. 

“You need all the help you can get” came Ymir’s smartassed remark. 

It started with a stifled chuckle, but developed into a full out belly laugh exiting Piecks throat. The two were just so ridiculous as they bickered over something so mundane! It reminded her of Hitch and Annie. Pieck wondered how much of it was her nerves getting to her, as the situation wasn’t  _ really  _ that funny but she couldn’t help herself. 

Yelena frowned, cheeks brightening from embarrassment as she gripped her sheets while Ymir’s grin only widened. 

“Maybe I’ll just take a seat by your feet,” Pieck finally managed as the remainders of her giggle fit exited her body -wiping a tear away from her eye-, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s come over me” 

Yelena stared at Pieck as she sat at the foot on the bed. 

“You can sit on my lap if you’d like,” Yelena finally said, catching Pieck off guard now blushing herself. 

“No, T-that’s okay!!” She half shouted. 

“Aww you don’t need to be shy in front of little ol me,” Ymir interjected. 

“I’m not!!” 

Ymir and Yelena burst out laughing and Pieck couldn’t help but feel like the two friends were ganging up on her. However, when she saw the tall blonde freely laugh Pieck felt relief wash over her -a small smile tugging her lips-, glad to see Yelena was feeling better than when they had first entered. 

“You guys…” Pieck muttered with a roll of her eyes and a smile on her face. 

Pieck and Ymir stayed to the end of visiting hours before leaving together, Ymir offering to give Pieck a ride home. 

The dark skinned woman had watched Yelena and Pieck’s interactions closely, curiously, that evening. She noted how the two progressively moved closer to eachother through out the visit, and all the subtle touches they gave eachother as they spoke and interacted and it made Ymir’s heart swell with warmth to see Yelena so happy and enthralled by someone. 

Ymir lit up a smoke as soon as they exited the building -struggling to quit again with all the stress-. 

“You know,” Ymir started, taking a lung full of the cancer stick and blowing it out before continuing, “Yelena was always a cry baby when we were growing up.” 

“Oh?” Pieck asked curiously. The thought of Yelena being a cry baby seemed so foriegn considering Pieck only knew the stoic woman Yelena had grown into. She tried to imagine what the blonde must’ve looked like as a child and the thought the idea of her being a cry baby kinda sounded cute. 

“Yeah,” Ymir said, “it used to irritate the hell out of me. She was always so sensitive.” 

Pieck watched Ymir’s face as she spoke, discerning her facial expression. 

Ymir took another puff before continuing, relishing the feeling of the filter on her lips. 

“After Cecile died though, she stopped all together. I remember the funeral, and the empty look in her eyes. God, what i’d do to see her cry now.” 

“Cecile was..?” Pieck trailed off. 

“The nanny. The  _ good _ one. Yelena found her dead after school one day. Cardiac arrest. She never talks about her anymore. I suppose it’s too painful.” Ymir’s face was serious, and Pieck found it unnerving. She hadn’t known the freckled skinned woman for long, but she seemed like the type that was always joking. 

“I wish she would though, rather than pretend she never existed,” Ymir lamented, “I miss Cecile too. It feels like by not speaking of her, we’re letting her die all over again. It seems cruel and unfair. Like all the goodness she gave us died with her.” 

Pieck hummed in agreement unsure what to say. Grief was a complicated monster, and everyone went through it differently. And for a traumatic experience like that? Who knows if Yelena would ever speak of her again. 

“I think you should speak about her if you want to,” Pieck said, “just because Yelena doesn’t want to talk about her doesn’t mean you have to remain silent.” 

Ymir nodded, “I know. It just feels disrespectful somehow. Like bringing up unnecessary emotions for her.”

“Interesting…” Pieck murmured as she squinted at Ymir. 

Ymir grunted with confusion, butting out her cigarette on the side of her truck -having finally reached it in the parking lot-. 

“You act outwardly so callous about other people’s emotions but deep down… you’re incredibly thoughtful.” Pieck said with a teasing smile.

Ymir frowned, a slight blush forming on her cheeks, “hey now, don’t get any funny ideas.” 

Pieck laughed at Ymir’s reaction. 

Ymir scratched the back of her head, looking away with embarrassment. “What I’m trying to get around to is, I think you’re good for her. And maybe one day, she’ll be comfortable enough to speak of Cecile again. Maybe to you or me or whoever. Either way, what I’m trying to say is, I’ve seen a change in her, in a good way!”

Pieck stared into Ymir’s eyes before offering a slight nod and small smile, “I hope so.” 

  
  


——-

  
  


“Walk with me for a moment?” Pieck said as she came up beside Porco in the hall. 

“Sure” he nodded. 

They walked down the hall with no particular destination in mind, passing students here and there. Pieck steeled herself before finally speaking. 

“So I’ve been thinking about your offer.”

“And?” Porco said anxiously, heart feeling like it was going to beat out of his chest in anticipation. 

Pieck looked up into his eyes sadly and he immediately knew the answer.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do it.” 

A look of complaisant sadness crossed his face. 

“I understand.” He finally said. 

“Things won’t be weird between us now, will it?” Pieck asked.

“No,” he responded softly, “I’ll get over it. If it’s okay though, I think I’ll need some space.” 

Pieck nodded. 

“See you later, Pieck.” 

And with that, Porco broke away. Pieck felt terrible, but she just didn’t see any point in humouring him with a date that she already knew she wasn’t interested in. Better to hurt him now so he could heal than gets his hopes up only to let him down later, she thought. Why put off the inevitable?

At lunch time, Pieck felt a little awkward as it was clear the girls and boys in her friend group had split to eat at their own tables. Pieck figured it was so Porco could have space but she still felt uneasy about it. 

Almost as soon as they had settled down to eat, the questions started coming about her conversation with Porco and the rejection. 

“I’m just not interested,” Pieck asserted. 

“Really? Man I thought you guys would’ve clicked for sure!” Hitch exclaimed in a hush voice, “like you weren’t even interested in giving a date a try?” 

Pieck shook her head as she shoved some rice in her mouth, suddenly thankful for her improved financial situation and being able to afford to bring lunch to school. She figured maybe if she could keep her mouth full, she could avoid answering too many questions. 

“Do you think you’d ever be interested in the future? Like once you’ve gotten over Yelena?” Annie ventured, more so out of curiosity than to prod.

Pieck’s eyes widened, suddenly remembering she hadn’t updated her friends on the Yelena situation.  _ Shit. _

Pieck glanced up, locking eyes with Historias across the table -who surely knew-. Historia only stared silently back though, leaving it for Pieck to explain. 

Pieck swallowed her mouthful, taking a moment to think about what she wanted to say. 

“About that,” she started. 

“No Pieck, you didn’t!!” Hitch said with exasperation, shoving her face in her hands. 

“Seriously?” Annie asked, mild frustration seeping into her voice.

Pieck’s lips tugged into a frown at her friend's reaction. 

“After everything that happened?” Hitch said, looking up from her hands to look at Pieck. 

“It was more complicated than that,” Pieck said, “and we’re taking things slow this time.” 

“When someone shows you who they really are, you should believe them the first time.” Hitch quipped back arrogantly. 

This statement irritated Pieck, feeling like her friends were acting as if they knew better than her. She almost like they were treating her as a helpless child that couldn’t make her own decisions. She wasn’t naive to her decisions and she would’ve thought her friends trusted her judgement enough to know she wouldn’t jump into something without carefully weighing her options. 

“First of all, you're being unfair on someone you’ve barely even spoken to, and second of all, my relationship choices are really nobody's business to judge,” Pieck firmly said. 

Hitch was a little taken aback by the firmness in Pieck’s statement, but she had to agree Pieck had a point. 

“Aw I know Pieck, I just don’t want to see you get hurt again,” Hitch said gently, not meaning offense. 

“And that’s fine, but I’m old enough to make my own decisions. You’re free to dislike them, but I would prefer if you kept it to yourself and showed a little bit of support.” Pieck responded, crossing her arms with a frown as she sat back in her chair. 

“Yeah!!” Historia suddenly chimed in with a shake of her fist and look of determination. Her face suddenly turned red as the three woman looked at her -sinking back into her chair-. She had just felt so moved by Pieck’s statement she couldn’t help but pitch in some encouragement. This earned her an approving smile from the raven haired woman though, and Historia couldn’t help but offer a small smile back. 

“Alright alright” Hitch said with a small smile, “Tell us what happened.”

And with that, Pieck explained the events of the last couple days while omitting the bits about Yelena ending up in the hospital and her struggles with mental health. As far as Pieck was concerned, that was information for Yelena to speak about if she chose to and not her place to bring up. 

\-------------------

  
  


After school Pieck had to head into work for the evening, unable to visit with the tall blonde for the first time that week -much to their shared disappointment-. They texted back and forth throughout most of the shift, Pieck stealing glances at her phone and sending quick replies when there were no customers in the store. Yelena mostly spoke about how terrible the food was and how excited she was to be able to sleep in her own bed -having been told she was being released tomorrow-, insisting she was sick of nurses constantly coming into her room and checking up on her. 

At one point that day, Yelena’s father had stopped by to apologize for how he had reacted while acknowledging his failings as a parent. He knew he hadn’t been a great father, and it had scared him to see Yelena falling apart and in the hospital while he was away, and stung know she wasn’t comfortable coming to him when she was hurting or in need. He loved his daughter greatly, but he didn’t know how to be a dad and used his work as a scapegoat to shrug off his responsibilities. He harbored a lot of guilt for some of the circumstances Yelena had gone through knowing he was just as much to blame. He promised to be better but Yelena had her doubts, as she had heard that sob story before. However, she figured at the very least, she was glad he apologized and admitted his faults. 

I’m being forced to journal my thoughts and feelings everyday. 

I think it’s dumb but they wouldn’t let me leave unless I agreed to that and outpatient therapy. -(Y) 21:55

Pieck read the text with a smirk, imagining the disgruntled look on Yelena’s face. 

That doesn’t sound so bad. A small price for freedom -(P) 21:57

*Eye roll emoji*

Do you want to hang out tomorrow? Bask in the glory of my new found freedom? -(Y) 22:00 

I would love to.- (P) 22:05

Be sure you write that down in your journal ;) -(P) 22:06

OMG DON’T -(Y) 22:06

Pieck chuckled, pleased with the reaction she got from the blonde before responding with a few heart emojis. 

Can I call you after work? -(Y) 22:10

Pieck raised her eyebrows as she read this. Now that she thought about it, they had never spoken on the phone before.

Sure. Are you calling to give me shit for teasing you -(P) 22:30

Yes.

But also to make sure you make it home safe. 

Or atleast on the bus safe if you don’t wanna talk that long -(Y) 22:31

Pieck could feel her cheeks redden and heart swell with affection for the handsome blonde. 

That sounds lovely -(P) 22:33 

Yelena smiled warmly when she read Pieck’s text, sitting in the darkness of the hospital room. The soft light of her phone was the only thing to light up the space causing shadows to dance across the walls. 

Yelena acted disgruntled, but deep down she sincerely hoped journaling and therapy would help fix whatever was wrong with her fractured mind. The psychologist had explained to her on their first meeting that it would be a long and difficult road to recovery, but if she put in the effort, one day the monsters in her mind wouldn’t be so overwhelming. They had also recommended medication, at least for the time being, to prevent any further panic attacks with the hope that with therapy she would eventually be able to wean off of them. 

Yelena was doing this for herself first and foremost, of course, knowing full well she couldn’t keep on living like she had been. But she would be lying if she said there wasn’t a part of her that was also doing it for Pieck, yearning to be able to offer her a stable and emotionally healthy relationship. She desperately wanted to be with the petite woman, but she knew offering herself up as she was now, wasn’t good enough and would be unfair. Pieck deserved better. And Yelena wanted to  _ be _ better for her. She was tired of being the one to make the young woman cry due to her own mental instability. 

Yelena turned her head to glance out the window, having kept the blinds partly open so she could look out at the city lights below. It felt safe being up so high above the world and as she watched the bustling of the city simmer down to a crawl, her mind tentatively wandered to Cecile, curious what Pieck would’ve thought of the older woman and what the older woman would’ve thought of Pieck. 

Yelena was sure Cecile would’ve loved Pieck, and even though Yelena’s heart ached knowing they would never have the opportunity to meet, for the first time since her death, Yelena found some comfort at the thought of her, imagining her warm smile and gentle embrace. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally gave the Granny a name! It came up randomly while I was writing but I like the name Cecile and it seemed fitting. I've been wanting to give her a name for awhile now but was too lazy to come up with one hahaha. So I'm glad she has one now.   
> My hope with this chapter was to show some natural growth of the characters and I think I was able to get that across. Change takes time and is a slow process, sometimes very subtle, and my hope is to convey that in my writing.   
> Anywho, Hope you enjoyed friends! ❤❤  
> Come shout at me on Tumblr if you'd like :)


	11. Skin & Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yelena gets released from the hospital, splitting up her time between Pieck and Ymir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skin & Bones by Lund is the song for this chapter. Particularly the line 'You're so beautiful, brings me to my knees.'
> 
> So sorry this chapter took me so long to put out!! I was having troubles writing it (I restarted it quite literally 3 times) and then just got super busy with work (RIP me).  
> But it's finally out! And it's a long juicey one with some smut near the end just for you, ya filthy animals (ie me, I'm filthy animals ;-; ).  
> Please, enjoy! ❤❤  
> And as always, comments are greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

* * *

It was early Saturday morning, sun having barely begun its accession into the sky. The air was crisp with the smell of winter and an unnaturally tall woman stood alone in the looming shadow of the hospital, waiting patiently by the curbside for her ride.

Yelena scrolled aimlessly on her phone, school bag strapped over one shoulder -which Onyankopon had been kind enough to bring for her during her stay- and cigarette in her other hand, smoke blowing gently in the breeze as embers burned the paper away. The air nipped at her exposed fingers, but she didn’t mind. She had always been a fan of the cold, it made her feel _alive._

When she heard the distant hum of an engine approaching, her dark grey orbs raised to see an old pickup truck soon pulling up beside her. 

After putting out her smoke into the giant community ashtray, she sauntered over to the truck, yanking the rusty door open and climbing into the passenger seat before slamming the door shut. 

“Some chauffeur you are, you didn’t even get the door for me,” Yelena lamented. 

“I only do that for small, beautiful women,” Ymir quipped back, not skipping a beat. 

Yelena smirked a bit before continuing, “thanks again for the ride.”

“Anytime, it’s nice to be so desperately needed.” 

Yelena snorted with a roll of her eyes before continuing, “Where do you wanna go eat?” In exchange for a ride she had insisted on buying Ymir breakfast after the dark skinned woman refused to accept any gas money. 

“I have a place in mind. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.” Ymir chirped happily.

Ymir drove them to a quiet mom and pop type diner a short distance from the hospital, with retro style decor -picture bright red seating with shiny steel trim-. Yelena thought it looked tacky but Ymir insisted their food was the best in the city.

When they walked through the door, a bell chimed. There were only two other customers in the entire restaurant, One chatted pleasantly with the waitress at the bar style seating while the other older gentleman sat alone with a coffee and newspaper in the far corner of the shop. 

“Sit wherever you’d like ladies, I’ll be right with you,” the waitress said in a cheery customer service voice. 

Yelena followed Ymir to a booth, taking a seat on the cool plastic cushion across from the freckle skinned woman. 

_‘Comfy’_ she thought, mildly pleased with the softness of the seat.

“What can I get you ladies to drink,” the waitress asked, passing out two menus. Her voice sounded raspy, as if years of smoking had permanently stained her vocal chords.

“Coffee. Black.” Yelena stated simply. The woman nodded, stray locks of red curly hair bouncing along her brow. 

“Ummm. I’ll get a coffee too. With cream.” 

The middle aged waitress nodded again, “great, I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

“Thanks” they said simultaneously. 

Yelena stared at the double sided menu for a few moments, flipping it back and forth. 

“What are you getting?” 

Ymir tapped away on her phone seemingly not having heard the blonde. 

Yelena frowned, kicking Ymir's shin from under the table.

“Ow what the f-“

“It’s rude to be on your phone when you’re hanging out with someone.” 

“What am I supposed to do when it takes you _EONS_ to make up your mind on what to order!?” 

“Stare at my beautiful face.” 

Ymir scowled, putting away her phone into the fabric of her jacket pocket while simultaneously leaning back against the booth cushion.

Just then the waitress came back with their drinks, placing the steaming hot cups of coffee in front of each of them and a small pitcher of cream for Ymir.

“Ready to order?” 

“Yes,” Yelena said.

“What can I get you?” 

“Early bird breakfast, sunny side up eggs, rye toast, and bacon.” Yelena fired off as the waitress expertly scribbled the order onto her pad.

“And for yourself, love?” The waitress said, turning towards Ymir.

“Same. But scrambled eggs.” 

“Excellent, we’ll get that started for you ladies,” the woman said with a pleasant smile, collecting the menus, “anything else I can get you in the meantime?” 

Both women shook their heads, and with that the waitress hurried off. 

Ymir sat forward to lean onto the table, taking the pitcher of cream and pouring some into her cup until the coffee was a light brown color. She swirled the liquid with a spoon for good measure before taking a sip and striking up a conversation. 

“Your girl is pretty cute, eh? I mean, not as cute as mine but…” 

Yelena narrowed her eyes a bit, “obviously. I have good taste you know.” 

“Yeah, I like her.” Ymir said, resting her head on one hand while thumbing the handle of her coffee cup with the other.

Yelena grunted in response. 

Ymir tapped a finger on the porcelain cup, “so are you guys official yet?”

“No. We’re taking things slow.”

Ymir quirked an eyebrow, “what does that mean?” 

Yelena looked away thoughtfully for a moment, “I’m not entirely sure if I’m being honest. No sex I guess?” 

“For how long?” 

Yelena shrugged, “til she’s ready I suppose.” 

“That’s what you get for being an asshole.”

This earned her an irritated glare from the blonde. Ymir shrugged, unfazed, “well it’s true.” 

“How did you ever find someone willing to put up with you? Are you paying her?” Yelena commented back. 

“Must be my charming personality and skills in bed,” Ymir responded cockily.

Yelena erupted in laughter, “ _please_.”

“What are you laughing about!?” Ymir shot back. 

“Skills in bed?” Yelena taunted before lifting her cup up to her lips to take a sip of the bitter liquid.

“You say that like we’ve slept together.” 

“Don’t have to when we’ve slept with the same women.” 

“I wouldn’t say that so proudly,” Ymir muttered with a furrowed brow. 

“Why not?” Yelena said, leaning in close to Ymir to whisper with a grin, “especially when I had them screaming my name. And afterwards they’d say, Ymir who?” 

Ymir pushed Yelena's face back with her hand, rolling her eyes, “you’re so full of shit, go back to your side of the table”

Yelena chuckled a deep throaty laugh. She thought she was pretty funny despite Ymir not seeming to see the humor in it. 

Just then, the waitress came with their food, placing each plate in front of them and a bottle of ketchup in between. 

“Enjoy! I’ll be back shortly to see how everything's tasting,” She said with a big cheerful smile before fluttering off. 

“Thank you,” they responded, again simultaneously. 

Ymir snatched the ketchup, giving it a hearty shake before squirting it all over her hash browns -a mixture of cubed potatoes fried crisp with onion, bacon pieces and seasoning-. 

Yelena stabbed a few of the crispy potatoes with her fork, loading it up to shove into her mouth. She closed her eyes with a sigh as she chewed on the flavorful pieces. It was so good to be able to eat tasty food again. 

“Good right?? What did I tell ya?” Ymir said with a grin before taking a mouthful. All Yelena did was nod in response. She figured anything would taste amazing after that bland hospital food, though she didn’t say it out loud. 

After the excellent breakfast Ymir promptly drove Yelena home so she could get ready to spend the rest of the day with Pieck. 

“Thanks again,” the tall blonde said before shutting the rusty door with a hard slam. Ymir offered a quick wave and off she went, the old vehicle exhaust sputtering as she accelerated away. 

Yelena walked off to the side of the mansion, towards the door of her bachelor suite. 

After getting inside Yelena beelined for the bathroom to take a much needed shower, eager to wash away the hospital smell along with the nightmare of a week she had had. 

She basked in the steam, relishing in the feeling of warm water droplets caressing her skin. She took a few moments to let the water rain down on her face, eyes closed and sounds muted, enjoying the drum of the water on her body. 

She wasn’t in a huge rush as Pieck had insisted when they spoke on the phone the night before that she would be sleeping in until at least noon today. Even after having had breakfast with Ymir it was still barely 9am. 

She stood in the shower, lathering her hair with a mint smelling shampoo. _‘Maybe i'll have a nap before heading over,_ ’ she pondered.

The thought of being able to lay in her own bed was mind numbingly exciting. It was difficult for her to sleep anywhere else at the best of times since she was so tall -her own bed having been custom made- and the more she thought about it, the more her bed called her name. 

After her hour-long shower, Yelena decided that yes, she was going to give into her worldly desires and have a nap in her own bed. 

She flopped face down onto the mattress, still wearing only her bath towel. She stretched her body out and moaned into her pillow. 

“Oh how I missed you bed, I’ll never leave you again” the tall woman murmured, closing her eyes and relaxing into the cool hug of the comforter. 

Yelena stayed like this, listening to the silence of her bachelor suite, another amazing anomaly she had missed. Hospitals were noisy, even at night, with beeping, machines running and people always around. 

‘ _Never again’_ she thought. And as Yelena laid like this, it wasn’t long before she drifted off to a deep, dreamless sleep. 

When Yelena awoke some time later, totally disoriented, and having found she had drooled onto her pillow, which had seeped into the fabric and stuck to her cheek. When she sat up she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, a little grossed out with herself, as she got her bearings.

She couldn’t remember the last time she slept so solid that she actually _drooled_. 

What time was it anyways? Surely it was almost noon by now, she thought. 

Yelena searched around before finding her phone, which was still in the bathroom, a screen full of text messages and-

2:00pm!?! 

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes to make sure she was seeing right. She couldn’t believe she had actually slept that long. 

_Pieck._

Yelena opened up her texts to read what Pieck had sent her. 

I’m awake. (P) 11:09am. 

Come by whenever. (P) 11:11am.

Did they let you out yet? (P) 12:01pm

Are you okay??? (P) 13:30pm

Yelena quickly went to reply, thumbs expertly gliding as she typed. 

Oh god I’m sorry. I totally passed out. 

I’ll be right over, gimme 30 mins. -(Y) 14:17pm 

As soon as she sent the text she didn’t bother to wait for a reply before rushing around to get dressed and put herself together, running a comb through her hair and brushing her teeth. 

After finding her car -which had been towed after the incident- and sending a quick text to let Pieck know she was on the way, Yelena headed to Pieck’s, anxious to see the small woman. 

“You must’ve been tired to have slept so long” a bit of humor was apparent in the raven haired woman’s voice as she flipped through some papers discerning what to keep and what to throw out. Since Yelena had taken so long to respond, Pieck decided to go through her room and tidy up some of the clutter. 

“I guess. I didn’t think I was _that_ tired though.” 

“Hospitals are exhausting, aren’t they?” Pieck lamented softly, glancing at the tall blonde, who sat on the bed with one leg crossed over the other. 

Yelena nodded her agreement. “So what do you wanna do today? Wanna go anywhere?” she asked, her eyes following Pieck around the room as she tidied. 

Pieck shrugged, putting some paper away into a filing folder tucked into her closet, “do you have anywhere in mind?” 

“Possibly.” 

“Oh?” Pieck looked over her shoulder with surprise. This earned her a grin from the tall blonde. 

“You better dress warm for it though.”

It was getting dark now, night falling quicker with every passing day as the cold clutches of winter overtook Liberio. Yelena figured her sleeping in had worked out for the best after all, as they didn’t have to wait nearly as long as she had originally expected before heading out to their destination. 

She still hadn’t told Pieck where they were going, wanting it to be a surprise. The drive was a bit of a distance and Pieck couldn’t help but joke Yelena was kidnapping her. 

“I mean, it would be pretty easy,” Yelena responded simply. 

“You’re not wrong, I’m already in the vehicle with no means of escape.” Pieck smirked. 

“And I’m twice your size and can overpower you easily”

Pieck scoffed, “I’d put up a good fight, don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” 

Yelena laughed, “Please. You really think you’d have a chance? Against me? That’s like betting on a rabbit overpowering a lion.” 

“Did you just call me a rabbit?” 

Yelena quickly glanced over at Pieck with a cocky smirk before returning her eyes to the road, “Oh look, we’re here!” she said, changing the subject. 

Pieck looked out the window trying to discern where ‘here’ was as Yelena turned onto a backroad and then into a large, dark parking lot filled with cars. She didn’t find out until after they had parked and made their way towards a booth with a large lit up sign overtop stating the destination. 

‘Skating Light Trail’ 

Pieck quirked an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. 

“Are we going skating?” she asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. 

“Do you know how?” Yelena asked with a smirk as they walked hand in hand towards the booth.

“It’s been a couple years, so I might be a bit rusty.” 

“Good! Then you can hold onto me,” Yelena grinned, squeezing Pieck’s hand gently. Pieck couldn’t help but smile warmly at the innocence of Yelena’s response.

“If I fall you know you’re coming down with me.” 

After paying for their skate rentals and admission, the two women quickly found a bench to put on their skates. Yelena took their boots, expertly maneuvering the snow in skates, to place them in the provided cubby off to the side. 

The attraction began with a huge open rink, lined with seating and lit up bright with white lights. The area was presumably for people to get their bearings before making their way down the true destination, the skate trail. The place was busy, but not overly so as the area was spacious enough to keep people spread out comfortably.

Yelena made her way onto the ice gracefully, whereas Pieck resembled a fawn learning to walk for the first time, legs shaking and unsteady. 

“Oh goodness, it has been a long time,” Pieck commented as she struggled to stay upright. Yelena soon came up behind her, to give her support.

“I got you” she spoke softly, taking Pieck’s gloved hand in her own while simultaneously placing her other hand on Pieck’s lower back to steady the raven haired woman. 

Pieck let out a breath of air, puffs of fog coming out of her mouth as the air condensed from the cold. 

“Thank you,” she said, holding tightly to Yelena’s hand before continuing with a glance over her shoulder, “I didn’t know you could skate.” 

“Mhmm, Ymir and I used to skate a lot growing up,” Yelena explained, “We still go at least a few times every winter.”

Pieck nodded as the tall blonde spoke. ‘ _Cute’_ she thought to herself, imagining a mini Yelena skating around. 

Once Pieck had her bearings again, she slowly began to glide one foot in front of the other along the sleek ice, letting go of Yelena’s hand. After a few moments it had begun to come back to her and her confidence grew. She had never been great at skating, but she was good enough she could usually get some decent momentum going.

As long as she didn’t have to abruptly stop. 

“This is nice,” she murmured, picking up enough speed to feel a gentle breeze blow through her hair before gliding to a slow hault. 

Yelena stood off to the side, admiring the petite woman as Pieck tentatively skated around, knee length skirt gently fluttering behind her with the movement. She had worn thick black tights underneath along with a warm sweater and jacket, just enough layers to keep out the cold. 

“Are you just gonna stand there or join in?” Pieck said with a smirk, skating an arms length past Yelena, pulling the blonde from her thoughts. 

The tall woman smiled, “are you ready to go down the path?” 

“I think so” 

Once started down the winding trail, Pieck looked on in awe at the beautiful collaboration of lights strewn on trees and along metal structures, a myriad of colors glittering across the snow and ice.

“It’s beautiful,” Pieck said.

“Almost as beautiful as you” Yelena whispered into Pieck’s ear, having skated up behind the petite woman and gently placing her hands on Pieck’s hips. 

Pieck grinned, reaching back to pat Yelena's cheek, confident the blonde would hold her steady, “keep telling me stuff like that and it’s going to start going to my head” 

“I’m only speaking the truth,” Yelena stated matter of factly. 

Pieck giggled a bit, “well thank you. And thank you for taking me here. This is lovely. I forgot how freeing it feels to be on skates.” 

“It is nice, isn’t it?” 

“Mm.”

Pieck began to skate ahead, metal blades cutting across the ice as she picked up speed. She loved the feeling of the wind in her face and -when she stopped moving- the way the skates continued to glide across the ice to a foregone destination allowing her to admire the scenery. It made it easy to be in the moment, she thought. No worries or thoughts about tomorrow, just the freedom to exist somewhere between now and eternity. 

“Pieck!” 

“Hm?” 

Pieck looked over her shoulder just in time to see Yelena with her phone up, snapping a picture. Yelena's lips pulled up into a satisfied grin. 

“Perfect.” 

“Show me,” Pieck said with a smile, skating up to Yelena and simultaneously grabbing onto her when she realized she couldn’t stop or slow down fast enough. 

Yelena turned her phone for the short woman to see. 

“Wow, impressive.” Pieck murmured, awed by how well her picture turned out, lights framing the image while concurrently painting her face with soft hues, “what are you gonna do with that photo?” 

“What do you mean?” 

Pieck smirked mischievously, still holding onto Yelena's jacket, “are you going to do naughty things with it?” 

Yelena's face instantly went crimson red. She had only had innocent intentions, but Pieck’s comment had completely thrown her through a loop. 

“AHA I knew it!” 

“What!? No!!” 

Pieck pushed off Yelena, skating ahead as she laughed. 

“I wasn’t!!” Yelena shouted as Pieck continued on, a faint ‘sure sure’ could be heard in the distance. 

Yelena pressed her palm to her face as she tried to shove down her embarrassment. She really hadn't thought of _that_ but now-

She glanced at the picture again only for her cheeks to immediately flush. ‘ _Damnit Pieck!!’_ She thought before slowly skating forward to catch up. 

It took them about 30 mins to finish the trail, Pieck having only barely fallen twice -with Yelena quick to her recuse-. Afterwards they sat huddled up on a bench to enjoy a hot chocolate and chat idley about whatever came to mind before Yelena drove the petite woman home, earning herself a heated kiss goodnight. 

  
  


———

  
  


“Why are you here??” Ymir complained, drying her hair with a towel, another one wrapped around her body. She had just come out of the shower to find the tall blonde had made herself at home in her small apartment livingroom. 

Yelena laid casually on the old, sunken-in couch, legs crossed holding her phone up to her face as she texted.

“I’m waiting for Pieck to get off work.” 

“You can’t do that at your own home?”

“No.” She responded simply, not looking up from her phone. Ymir frowned, crossing her arms. 

“Well Historia is coming over and we want some privacy sooooo”

“You have a bedroom, I can wait.” 

Ymir’s eye twitched, the corners of her lips pulling impossibly low. 

“Seriously?” 

Yelena’s eyes drifted up to the freckle skinned woman, “What? Scared I’m going to judge you” Yelena smirked. 

Ymir scoffed her disagreement. 

“Fine. Whatever.” She finally said, throwing her hands up in the air as she turned to head to her room and get dressed. 

Truth be told, Yelena was avoiding home. Her father had decided to take some time off work in an attempt to spend time with the tall blonde and it was weirding her out. In the short time she had been home from the hospital, he had already made several attempts to hang out and make idle chit chat with her at her bachelor suite door, probing her about her life and friends. She supposed he was trying to be more present or something, but if Yelena was being honest, she wasn’t interested. She _liked_ how things were before and all she desperately wanted was for things to go back to normal. She hoped if she stayed away he would soon get bored and go back to work. 

“It’s only til 4,” Yelena said when Ymir walked back into the living room to take a seat in her recliner and light up a smoke. 

“Well that’s no good, I work this evening. Some of us have bills and rent to pay you know,” Ymir muttered, taking a drag from her cancer stick.

From the moment Ymir could start working she decided to move out on her own, having had enough of living on the whim of her mothers addiction and knowing full well that if she stayed her mother would've drained her dry of every last penny she owned. It had been a struggle at the time to find a place that would rent to a 16 year old, especially without a cosigner or anything, but the landlord of this apartment had taken a liking to her, willing to help her out and even reducing her rent with the caveat that she stayed in school and continued her studies. Ymir had found it strange at the time, assuming there would eventually be some 'catch' but the catch never came. She later found out the older gentleman had taken a liking to her simply because she reminded him of one of his grandkids, stating if his family were ever in such a pickle he would hope someone would have the kindness in their hearts to do the same for them. Ymir was eternally grateful for his generosity, not sure what she would've done had it not been for him. 

“Hey, I told you before that you could’ve stayed with me,” Yelena said bluntly as she scrolled aimlessly on her phone.

“I don’t need your handouts!” Ymir quickly shot back, “I can make it on my own just fine.” 

It was true, Ymir was much too proud to accept help from Yelena, which the blonde never really quite understood.

It wasn't like Ymir was totally averse to any help whatsoever, no, it was only when it came from Yelena. At one point, in their younger years, Yelena had eventually taken offense, starting a huge argument over the issue. However, nothing ever came of it and she eventually gave up fighting. Yelena figured it was the freckle skinned woman's choice on who she accepted help from, and if she didn't want it from her then that was fine. Deep down Yelena wondered -feared even- that maybe the dark skinned woman held some bitterness, or even hate towards her, for having been born into wealth and having the option of an easy life. She supposed she couldn't blame Ymir if she did, but that didn't make her heart hurt any less as the prospect.

“Mhmm” 

“One day I’ll be your boss and you’ll be kissing the ground I walk on,” Ymir said quietly, a phrase she had repeated her entire life, almost as a mantra to keep herself moving forward and eye on the prize. 

Yelena smiled at this, responding with sincerity, “Good, I look forward to it.” She paused before continuing, “Have you spoken to your mother lately?” 

“A few weeks ago. She’s the same as always,” Ymir said, blowing gray plumes of smoke out of her lungs, mentally berating herself for having started the habit again, “I don’t know how she’s not dead with the amount she drinks.”

“Mm, some people have all the luck.”

A smile spread across Ymir’s face as she eyed the blonde thoughtfully, “isn’t that something Cecile used to always say?” 

“Maybe. Don’t remember.” 

Ymir butted out her smoke in the ashtray about to say something when a gentle chime filled the air. 

“Ah Historia's here!” She said, excitement apparent in her voice as she quickly got up to greet the small blonde at the apartment entrance downstairs. Yelena could soon hear the petite woman’s shrill voice as they entered the apartment, followed by Ymir's deeper one.

“Sorry, I have a freeloader over today, I tried to tell her we had plans for sex but she won’t leave” Ymir explained off handedly. 

“Ymir!” Historia smacked Ymir’s stomach with the back of her hand, face turning several shades of red, “We didn’t-” Historia looked over to see Yelena laying on the couch who offered her a small wave. “We didn’t have plans, you don’t have to leave!”

“Thank you,” Yelena spoke in jest before speaking to Ymir, “Why’s Historia so much better mannered than you?” 

“She’s my better half I guess,” Ymir muttered, fingers scratching the back of her head as she glanced away. 

Yelena sat up to make space on the couch, putting her phone in her sweater pocket as Historia came to sit down at the far end, hands clasped together on her lap. 

“Wait, you can cuddle up with me on the chair!” Ymir exclaimed frantically, but Historia only shot her a dirty look.

“I’m fine here, thank you.” 

Yelena pulled her lips tight in an attempt to hide the amused smirk that threatened to spread across her face. _‘Looks like someone’s in the dog house.’_ she thought humorously. 

“How’ve you been?” Yelena asked politely once she regained her composure. 

“Great!” Historia said with a big smile, “And yourself?” 

“Never better.” Yelena responded with an easy smile of her own. 

Ymir slumped back into her recliner, defeated, flipping the switch so the chair elevated her legs and leaned back. She let out a huff of frustration. 

“Have you been smoking again?” Historia asked Ymir when she noticed the freshly put out cigarette in the ashtray. Ymir had told her she quit again but Historia had her doubts. 

Before Ymir had a chance to respond, Yelena butted in, “Sorry, that was me. Nasty habit I know.” 

“It really is disgusting.” Historia said bluntly much to Yelena’s amusement. On the surface, Historia appeared to be quiet, shy and well mannered, but it was becoming apparent to Yelena that the small woman was actually quite feisty and outspoken beneath the surface. 

The tall blonde glanced over at her freckled skinned friend who looked like her soul was about to leave her body. Yelena smiled to herself. She could see how much Ymir cared about Historia’s opinion, and was clearly very much into her. It made Yelena’s heart squeeze with joy to see her friend had found someone she was so smitten with. _She deserved the world._

“Well, I gotta get going,” Yelena said, standing up. 

“So soon? I didn’t offend you did I?” Historia said, suddenly regretting her thoughtless comment, standing up as well. She thought Ymir was tall, but next to Yelena, Historia felt like a pip squeak.

“I told you not to worry so much about silencing yourself around people,” Ymir scolded irritably, eyebrows furrowed, “Yelena’s fine and it is a disgusting habit. Don’t be sorry for being honest.” 

Historia looked at Ymir, an odd expression crossing her face -one mixed with apprehension and appreciation-. She knew Ymir was right, but it was a struggle to let go of years worth of burying her true thoughts and feelings. She grew up in a family that very much believed women should be seen and not heard, keeping their thoughts and emotions to themselves while putting everyone else's needs above their own. It was a tough habit to break and Historia suddenly felt a pang of guilt for always scolding Ymir about her smoking, sympathizing that that was also probably a difficult habit to break.

“No, no. It’s fine. I have some errands to run before picking up Pieck is all,” Yelena smiled charmingly with a gentle wave of her hand. 

“Oh?” Is she working today?” Historia said, a gleam of excitement shining in her eyes. Historia was quite fond of the raven haired woman, despite Pieck having not been so fond of her when they first met. Historia thought it was probably what made her want her approval even more. She always had been drawn to people that withheld their assent of her. Old habits die hard indeed.

Yelena nodded. 

“Tell her I said Hi!” 

“Will do.” Yelena said with a bow of her head before turning to head out. Historia’s eyebrow furrowed as she turned to look at Ymir, “Why’s your friend so much more well mannered than you?” 

Ymir’s eyebrow twitched with a frown. Why was everyone on her today? “Guess she’s my other better half?” 

“I’ll remember you said that,” Yelena's deep voice said humorously, before offering a wave goodbye and exiting out the door. 

\--------

Yelena sat slouched in the driver seat of her car -an old rust bucket she kept around specifically for days when she visited Ymir’s in an attempt to blend in with the sketchy neighborhood- cigarette in one hand and phone in the other as she waited patiently for Pieck to get off work.

She brought the smoke to her lips, sucking on the filter as she stared at the photo of Pieck on her phone from the night before, eyes tracing every inch of the image, trying to commit it to memory. 

_‘Beautiful’_ she thought, as she admired the candid shot of the petite woman. She loved everything about Pieck. How her dark hair contrasted the pale skin of her face, the depth of her eyes and how they held her own when they spoke, the gentle assertiveness of her voice. The teasing. She loved it all. 

She blew out the dark smoke from her parched lips, which quickly escaped out the tiny crack in her window, cool air rushing in to quickly replace it.

‘ _This habit really is disgusting’_ she thought, as she eyed her half smoked cigarette with a sigh, before taking another puff. 

Shortly after, a text from Pieck popped up on her phone. 

Be out in a minute! -(P) 16:05. 

Yelena sat up, flicking her smoke out the window and starting the car, engine whining before stuttering to a strained start when she cranked the key over. She glanced over to the convenience store entrance, seeing Pieck walk out shortly after with a look of confusion on her face as her eyes scanned the surrounding area. Yelena leaned over to wave at Pieck thru the passenger side window, successfully getting her attention. 

“New car?” she asked once she got in, causing a deep chuckle to escape Yelena’s lips. 

“Sorry, guess I should’ve given you a heads up. I use this one when I visit Ymir.” 

“Ohhhhhh,” Pieck said, “that makes sense.”

“How was work? And Historia says Hi, by the way.” Yelena said, shifting the vehicle into drive, quickly sputtering away. 

\-------

“My feet are _killing_ me,” Pieck whined, legs outstretched under the tea table which was plastered with homework, notes, and text books. They had decided to try to get some studying done before school tomorrow but Pieck was struggling. She leaned back on her hands, feeling her feet throb with every beat of her heart, the ache going as far as to travel up her calves. She wondered if maybe she needed better shoes for work, especially on days like today when it was so busy. 

Yelena looked up at Pieck, stopping writing mid sentence, “Do you want a foot massage?” 

“Only if you want a broken nose.” 

Yelena chuckled, “Ticklish?”

“Veryyyy,” Pieck sighed, “Hitch, Annie and I once went for a mani/pedicure and I nearly kicked the woman square in the face when she grabbed my foot.” 

Yelena’s chuckled erupted into a full out laugh causing Pieck to softly giggle along as well. 

“It’s funny now, but at the time I was mortified,” she said, "I couldn't even get through the pedicure." 

“I bet.” Yelena said with a smile before suddenly feeling Pieck’s feet pressing and rubbing against her crossed legs from underneath the table.

“You can massage my calves though if you want, those are hurting too.” Pieck said offhandedly not really expecting a response. She missed the way Yelena’s breath caught in her throat at the suggestion. 

“Sure!” Yelena answered, more enthusiastically than she had meant to. 

Pieck moved her legs out from under the table for easier access as Yelena crawled around to get up close enough to reach them, sitting back onto her own feet. Her hands cupped the soft skin of Pieck’s calves, pushing her fingers into the tender muscle there. 

“Just tell me if I’m hurting you,” Yelena said softly, earning a nod from Pieck who stayed upright, weight still resting back on her outstretched arms behind her. 

Yelena scooched in a bit closer, bending Pieck’s knees and tucking her feet under either side of her arms. The blonde’s long fingers gently worked the tender flesh, reveling in the feeling of Pieck’s warm skin against hers. 

“Ah, that feels good,” Pieck murmured, eyes fluttering closed and head tilting back as she basked in the gentle ministrations of Yelena’s hands. It didn't take all the pain away, but it was definitely helping lessen the ache. 

Those words triggered something erotic in Yelena’s mind, which immediately wandered back to all the times she made the small woman moan beneath her finger tips. A soft blush lit up Yelena's cheeks as she focused her eyes on Pieck's exposed neck before flitting down to the dip in Pieck’s skirt which perfectly covered her nether regions despite the rest of the fabric riding up her cream colored thighs. Yelena clenched her jaw, closing and scrunching up her eyes in an attempt to banish the naughty thoughts that were quickly flooding her mind, not realizing she had stopped her movements in the process. 

Pieck kicked her feet gently to get Yelena’s attention, “don’t stop.” her voice mewled, not bothering to open her eyes. This was enough for the tall woman to continue her movements, working her hands down to Pieck’s ankles then up to her knees at an unhurried pace. She continued like this for a few moments before placing Pieck’s legs down so her feet were planted firmly on the ground. Yelena leaned forward, pushing her body between Pieck’s knees and placing her hands on either side of the petite woman’s body so her face was mere inches away from Pieck’s. 

Pieck tilted her head to the side, opening her eyes to look at Yelena, an amused smile spreading across her lips. “Did I say you could stop?” She whispered commandingly. 

Yelena’s eyes were filled with lust as she gazed into Pieck’s. She would never do anything Pieck didn’t want her to, but god, every cell in her being craved Pieck’s touch and longed for the small woman underneath her to be a hot, moaning, mess of her own design. 

“Is there anywhere else that needs a massage?” the blonde murmured, unable to hide the husky tone in her voice, face so close her breath tickled Pieck’s lips.

Pieck reached a hand up to caress Yelena’s cheek, finger tips grazing the taller woman’s ear, tracing the shell of it. “I can think of a few places,” she said quietly, before leaning in to steal the blonde’s lips.

It started with short bursts of their lips pressing and pulling apart, neediness increasing with every separation before soon devolving into desperate, messy, open mouthed kisses. Their tongues and teeth clashed together as Pieck’s hands clung to Yelena’s shoulders, one hand soon roughly sliding up Yelena's neck and into the short hairs at the back of her head.

The tall woman soon laid Pieck back gently onto the cold floor, grinding her hips against Pieck’s as they made out. 

“Yelena” Pieck gasped out in pleasure, feeling one of the blonde’s hands roughly run up her thigh under her skirt to squeeze her ass and pull her close. while planting desperate kisses and bites down the smaller woman’s neck. 

“Please” the raven haired woman whispered, legs quivering. The pressure from Yelena's hips weren't enough, she needed more.

Yelena didn’t need to be told twice, as her hand quickly found it’s place overtop the covered mound of Pieck’s sex, rubbing it through the fabric, pleased to feel how wet her lover already was. 

“Please what?” Yelena spoke against Pieck’s neck, before running her tongue along the sensitive skin, deciding to tease the small woman a little bit. 

“Fuck me.” Pieck's voice was almost unlike her, deep and desperate and full of desire.

Yelena bit down and groaned into the crook of Pieck's neck, finding it to be a huge turn on. She always was a bit of a sucker for dirty talk. Yelena immediately pushed the fabric of Pieck’s panties to the side so she could slip two fingers into Pieck’s slick opening while simultaneously pressing her thumb against the engorged nub of Pieck’s clit. This gained a gasp and sigh from the smaller woman, who pressed her face into Yelena’s shoulder, hands under the tall woman’s shirt and nails digging into the bare skin of her back. It felt good to be so intimate again.

Yelena quickly got to work, reaching all the right spots with her fingers as they moved at a steady pace inside Pieck’s core, lewd wet sounds filling the room. She held herself up with her other arm -weight resting on her forearm- trying to look at Pieck’s face as she pleasured the small woman.

Pieck was already panting heavily into Yelena's shoulder from the ministrations, doing her best to keep quiet. 

“Pieck…” Yelena murmured into her ear, “cum for me.” 

Yelena’s words flipped something primal in Pieck, her core instantly clenching with excitement at the command as she moaned into Yelena’s shoulder, white hot pleasure running up her spine. Pieck’s hips stuttered up against Yelena’s hand, walls throbbing around the invading digits as she soon climaxed. She panted heavily into Yelena’s chest, feeling Yelena’s fingers continuing to massage her G-spot. 

“Yelena!!” she gasped feeling another wave of intense pleasure overcome her as she pressed her body desperately against her tall lover, body quivering. 

“I can’t-” she breathed, hips pulling away from the intense sensation as it soon proved to be too much. 

Yelena smirked, pulling her hand away to gently caress Pieck’s thigh, soothingly, unintentionally spreading Pieck’s juices along her skin. Pieck shivered as the remains of her orgasm left her body, resting her head back onto the floor. She panted heavily, mind in a blissful haze as she felt Yelena tenderly press her lips to her pulse point, sucking on the skin there. 

Pieck ran her palms up and down Yelena’s back, feeling the fresh, swollen grooves left by her nails. 

“I’m sorry,” she breathed out, not realizing she had clawed down so hard in her excitement. 

“Don’t be,” Yelena murmured against her neck, “I like it rough, remember?” 

A quiet giggle left Pieck’s lips as she blew out a wavering breath, slowly coming down from her high. 

“That- was something else.” Pieck finally said, feeling Yelena’s lips tug into a satisfied grin.

“Thank you,” Yelena purred, pulling back to look down at her flushed lover and pressing a kiss to her cheek. 

Oh how she missed this. 

Yelena moved to lay down on her side beside Pieck, who cuddled up close to the tall woman, wanting nothing more but to melt into her body. The floor wasn’t terribly comfortable, but neither of them minded, not wanting to move and ruin the moment as their hands gently roamed the curves and valleys of each other's bodies as they lazily exchanged kisses.

After some time, they got up to continue with their studies, this time sitting close enough to each other that their legs touched, enjoying every ounce of closeness they could get.

When Yelena left that night, she had a warmness in her chest that made her feel like she was on cloud 9, like nothing in the world could pull her back to earth.

And -to her surprise and relief- the feeling lasted even when she curled up into bed that night, comforting her til she slipped off into a peaceful sleep, thoughts of Pieck swimming in her head.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, Yelena is so smitten with Pieck, my heart can't take it ❤  
> Also, I didn't say it in the chapter, but Yelena leaves Ymir's quite early, spending a few hours sitting in her car before Pieck gets off work. She never had errands to run, she just had a change of heart deciding to give Ymir/Historia some alone time. I dunno if I explained it clearly enough TBH.   
> Also, my babies (Pieck/Yelena) needed a break from all the heartache of the last couple chapters, so this was a very light and fluffy one. Hope ya'll enjoyed it ❤  
> I've been really enjoying the other Pikulena fics that have been cropping up lately. It's been a real treat and I'm super excited to see so much more interest in this couple as of late (I hope it continues to grow).  
> Anyways, I look forward to reading your comments!  
> Thanks for reading ^-^


	12. Feels Like Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Yelena's first day back at school since being hospitalized. How does it go, and what does her and Pieck's future hold?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feels Like Home by Atoms to Ashes

* * *

“Is it true you were kidnapped?” 

“I heard you have cancer!!”

“Why isn’t your leg in a cast?” 

Yelena was bombarded with these and all sorts of other questions when she returned to school on Monday. It made her head spin. Where did people come up with this stuff? She was barely gone a week and the rumor mill had run wild with her absence. 

“I was just out with a nasty flu, is all” she responded for the umpteenth time that day, her patience wearing thin despite the calmness on her face. She couldn’t understand the interest these people had in her personal life. People she barely knew, some she wasn't even sure she'd ever even shared a class with. She knew she was popular amongst the student body due to being head of the debate team, but this felt ridiculous. Everywhere she went that day was a minefield of people and questions. 

She let out a long breath through her nose, maintaining her air of composure. She had been in the process of making her way to the cafeteria for lunch when she was once again swarmed, presumably by under classmen this time. 

“Glad you’re feeling better,” one of the girls that had flocked around her said. 

“Thank you,” she offered a small, empty smile. Just then, Yelena glanced up and saw Pieck walking by towards the cafeteria, their eyes catching briefly and her heart skipping a beat. “Excuse me, I have to go” 

Yelena quickly caught up to the petite woman, intercepting her before she made her way to her friends. 

“Pieck!” 

Pieck glanced up, stopping when she saw Yelena approach her. The raven haired woman was a little taken aback to see the blonde so boldly search her out, in a busy cafeteria no less. However, she couldn't help but feel a little flattered by Yelena's efforts, pleased to know she wasn't hiding their friendship. 

“Good morning,” Pieck spoke with a smile. 

“Hi!” Yelena responded awkwardly, suddenly realizing she had nothing to say. It had been on total impulse to run up to Pieck, unable to help herself when she had seen her for the first time that day. She craved Pieck’s attention and to be near her, even if only briefly. 

“Your fans let you escape?” Pieck chuckled a bit. 

Yelena scoffed with a playful frown, “Don’t say it like that.”

“What? Getting tired of the spotlight,” Pieck teased with a gentle elbow to Yelena’s side. 

Yelena had never been a fan of all the attention, but today it was overwhelming. And a part of her was embarrassed Pieck had seen. 

She wanted Pieck to know she only had eyes for her. 

“Man, what does she have that I don’t?” Porco complained, mostly to himself, as he watched Pieck's face light up while she spoke to Yelena.

Today he had decided to try sitting with his friends again, for the first time since being rejected by Pieck. He sat in his chair, slouched forward on the table with his arms crossed infront of him and chin resting on the table. From this position, his eyes just barely peaked over his forearms. 

“Well she’s got at least a foot on you in height, boobs, vagina, a charming personality,” Annie listed off with a monotone voice as she counted on her fingers. The longer she continued, the more his irritation grew.

“Okay okay! I get it! It was a rhetorical question!!” Porco snapped. 

“They’re kinda cute,” Hitch said, face pressing into her hand as she too, watched, “and Pieck looks really happy.” 

Porco sighed. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore and regretted saying anything in the first place. He was still kicking himself for not having confessed to Pieck much sooner, thinking maybe things could’ve been different if he had. 

“Yeah, she does.” Annie responded. She suddenly felt two hands on her shoulders, pulling her to the side.

“Our little girl is all grown up!” Hitch exclaimed, pressing her cheek up against Annie’s in a show of affection.

Porco scoffed angrily, having had enough of the girls gushing over Pieck’s new relationship. He couldn’t handle it anymore, his heart aching. He pressed his hands against the table to push himself up, “I’m outta here.” He mumbled, throwing his bag over his shoulder as he stood up to storm away. 

Pieck came just in time to see Porco walk off, an uneasiness washing over her and lips pulling tight. 

“Ignore him,” Hitch said, an unfamiliar tone of anger in her voice. She couldn't help but feel irritated by Porco's immature attitude. As far as she was concerned, he was acting like a spoiled brat, clearly not used to things not going his way. It was his own fault he missed his opportunity with Pieck, and Hitch thought it was ridiculous he was moping about it now. The least he could do was keep his feelings to himself around the raven haired woman. 

Pieck looked at her with a small nod, but the sadness was still evident in her face and it made Hitch's heartache and anger flare. Pieck deserved to be enjoying her time with Yelena, not worrying about Porco's selfish feelings. 

  
  


————

  
  


“I did my best to cull the rumor mill,” Onyankopon insisted, “but that stuff spreads like wild fire.” 

Yelena sighed, “no shit.” 

She took a few bites of her lunch, eyes drifting back towards Pieck across the room. Her back was turned to her, much to the blonde's disappointment.

“How are you holding up anyways?” 

Yelena turned her attention back to Onyankopon offering a small shrug, “fine I suppose. The meds help.” She admitted. Yelena was pleased -and relieved- to find after spending time with Pieck her anxiety didn’t shoot up or cause any panic attacks over the weekend. 

And no nightmares. 

She diligently wrote in her journal each night, though initially found it quite awkward. She knew she didn’t have to show anyone, not even the therapist, but there was something uncomfortable about writing her thoughts and feelings out on a page. It made them tangible some how and brought them to the forefront of her mind, which circumvented her usual coping mechanism of ignoring everything or covering it up with sex. 

And it made her feel paranoid. 

There was a weird part of her that was incredibly anxious that someone would find her journal and read through it, and that alone bothered her more than anything. Having her thoughts and feelings written out on a page made her feel vulnerable and she had spent a considerable amount of time Saturday evening finding a well hidden place to keep it safe. 

“That’s good, I’m glad,” Onyankopon said softly. Yelena glanced at him, observing the relief on his face.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, “I appreciate that you always look out for me.” 

Onyankopon looked at her with over dramatized shock on his face. 

“What?” She said, irritation seeping into her voice and across her features. 

“It’s just- I don’t think I caught that. Can you repeat it?” The dark skinned man said, placing a hand next to his ear and leaning in close. 

Yelena growled, a light blush of embarrassment forming on her cheeks, “you heard me. I’m not saying it again.” 

Onyankopon laughed a deep hearty laugh. It was nice to see Yelena back to her old self. 

Yelena rolled her eyes, “honestly, you’re such a pain.” 

“You enjoy it though.” Onyankopon said with a knowing smirk. 

Yelena chuckled a bit despite herself, “sure.” 

  
  


———-

  
  


“What’s the matter?”

“Hm? Oh it’s nothing.” Pieck responded, not realizing how quiet she had been as Yelena walked her home. Truth be told, the tension with Porco had been really getting to her. He had been avoiding her at school, and the way he had stormed away at lunch as she came up to the table hurt her feelings. It was all too much. She was starting to feel like she had done something wrong. 

Pieck felt fingers grip her head, tilting it head back and forth gently.

“You know you can talk to me.” 

Pieck glanced up at the blonde, biting back the rhetorical remark that hung on her lips. _Funny coming from you._ Pieck pushed air through her nose, puffs of cold condensation forming as it came out. 

“Porco confessed his feelings for me a few days ago.” 

Pieck saw Yelena's eyebrows raise and eyes darken ever so slightly, a dangerous expression seemingly crossing her face, Pieck thought. 

“I told him I didn’t feel the same. And he asked for space. Which is fine...” Pieck’s words hung on her lips as she tried to sort through her feelings. 

“But it’s still bothering you” Yelena finished for her, face relaxing a bit. 

Pieck nodded slightly. She knew it would take time for Porco to work through his feelings, but she was finding it difficult regardless 

“I know I shouldn’t let it but… I don’t know. It’s hard. What if things never go back to normal.” Pieck said quietly, looking at the snowy ground. 

“It’s only been a few days though, surely you need to give it a bit more time?”

Pieck nodded again, “you’re probably right.” 

Yelena's heart squeezed a little at the sadness in Pieck’s voice. She wrapped her arm around the smaller woman’s shoulder pulling her in close to her side as they walked. 

“It’ll be okay,” whispered Yelena, rubbing Pieck's shoulder reassuringly. 

The two women spent the majority of their evening quietly studying, sitting pressed up close to each other as they had done the day before. Exams were upon them in a few weeks and both had experienced a drop in their marks recently. They vowed to each other to study hard and get their marks back up by Christmas break. 

During a study break, they sipped on some tea and cookies while an episode of a show played on Pieck’s tiny TV. She didn't have a lot of channels, due to only owning basic cable, but there were a few interesting enough shows that played in the evenings. 

Yelena glanced at Pieck -who’s eyes were glued to the tv- mind ruminating on a question that had been gnawing at her mind, especially now that she had heard of Porco’s confession. She could feel anxiety build in her chest at the thought of someone like Porco stealing Pieck away. She wanted Pieck to be _hers._ She wanted things to be official. Despite having had sex, they still hadn’t had _that_ conversation yet and Yelena wasn’t sure when would be an appropriate time to bring it up.

But she needed to know. It was eating her up inside. 

They had gotten so close so quickly with everything that had happened. It seemed silly to her that they weren't in a relationship at this point. Hadn't she done enough to prove herself? 

“Pieck?” 

_Are we official now?_

The question caught in her throat and shriveled up on her vocal chords before ever touching her lips the moment Pieck's brown orbs locked onto her gray ones.

“Hm?” Pieck hummed, waiting for Yelena to speak, a cookie breaking between her teeth as she munched on the snacks with her tea. 

Yelena froze. She realized she was too afraid to ask and be rejected again. Too afraid of ruining whatever it was that they had. She stared at Pieck who looked at her expectantly.

“Wanna have sex?” 

Pieck furrowed her brows, eyes wide and a bright red blush erupting on her cheeks. 

Yelena stared at her, wide eyed, just as shocked with the words that fell out of her mouth. 

Pieck swallowed the food in her mouth with a gulp. 

“That’s- um. What?” Pieck said with a slight shake of her head and confusion in her eyes, not sure if she heard right. ' _Blunt, but to the point?_ ' she thought. 

“What?” Yelena repeated back, her cheeks tinging red. _‘Smooth.’_ she thought, mentally kicking herself. 

Pieck burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the conversation and Yelena couldn’t help but quietly laugh along. 

“A little out of the blue, no?” Pieck said, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischievousness as she smiled at the blonde, “aren’t you going to at least seduce me a little first?” she said, taking another cookie into her mouth. 

\---------

  
Pieck walked into the school and down the hall towards her first class. She let out a big yawn, not having gotten enough sleep the night before due to a certain _someone_. She smiled a bit to herself. 

It was fine though, she was used to being perpetually tired. And she enjoyed the time she spent with Yelena, wanting as much as she could get. 

“Oh my god! Pieck your neck!!” Hitch exclaimed from down the hall, excitement in her voice as she pointed at the dark purple bruises along the raven haired woman's skin. 

Pieck instinctively covered it with her hand, her cheeks turning bright red. 

“Someone's getting a little somethin-somethin I see,” Her voice went low in Pieck's ear as she teased her friend, hands snaking up to the petite woman's shoulders. 

It had felt good the night before, but now Pieck was dying of embarrassment, not having realized how deep and purple the hickeys would turn out when Yelena had been paying extra attention to her neck. And Yelena had been relentless, leaving marks all over her body. 

“Stop you’re embarrassing me,” Pieck exclaimed, pulling away from Hitch’s grip, eliciting a cackle from the green eyed woman. Pieck had hoped her hair was enough to hide the marks, but Hitch’s eyes were too sharp. She should’ve expected as much. 

“Aww don’t be shy.” 

Unbeknownst to them, Porco stood a fair distance away -leaned up against a wall-, watching Pieck with sadness in his eyes. He still couldn’t bring himself to be around her, surprised at how strongly he reacted and the ache in his chest. Initially he had just been sad when Pieck rejected his offer, but the more he stewed on it, the more irritated and angry he got. 

Had he misunderstood the signs? The way she spoke to him? The way she looked at him? Did she really harbor no feelings for him at all? Not even enough to give him a chance? 

Instead she was with… 

He clenched his jaw. 

He didn’t believe Yelena could treat Pieck right, treat her the way she deserved to be treated. It was no secret that Yelena had slept around extensively and Porco found it hard to believe that the tall woman would change her ways for Pieck. He was sure the blonde would just break Pieck's heart again. 

He didn’t understand why Pieck even gave her another chance while brushing him aside. 

Couldn’t she see how perfect they would be together? 

He huffed out a breath through his nose.

The more he thought of it, the angrier he got, closing off into himself. He hadn’t even opened up to his brother, instead, choosing to quietly fester on his own emotions.

Porco's eyes drifted down the hall, catching the tall blonde woman in question, who idley chatted with a group of girls that had surrounded her.

Porco scoffed angrily, scowling at the blonde. 

Just then, her eyes lifted up, locking with his from across the room, as if she had felt his intense stare burning into her. 

Her eyes went dark, angry even, as if to challenge him and he held her intense gaze for a few long seconds. However, he broke the stare with a huff, finally turning away to head to class. 

He missed the way Yelena smiled to herself, pleased to have won the staring contest. 

  
  


——-

  
  


“Did you have to leave such large marks?” Pieck said softly, rubbing her neck as they walked. 

“Hm?” Yelena was pulled from her thoughts, glancing at the petite woman who looked at her with a furrowed brow. Yelena's lips pulled into a wide smirk, “I didn’t hear you complaining last night.” 

“Well no..” Pieck murmured glancing away, “however, I also underestimated how sharp Hitch’s eyes are. She saw them before I even said hello this morning.” 

Yelena couldn’t help but chuckle at this, earning an elbow in the side from Pieck.

“It’s not funny, she teased me all day about it,” Pieck scolded despite the obvious humor in her voice. Yelena leaned down so her lips were next to Pieck's ear. 

“I can make it even bigger if you’d like.” 

“No!!’ Pieck squealed, pushing the tall blonde away with a laugh. “This is bad enough, I’m never going to hear the end of it.”

Yelena hummed with approval, proud of her antics. She wanted everyone to know that Pieck was _hers,_ especially Porco. She hoped he saw it.

“I almost feel like you did it on purpose.”

“Moi? Those are some heavy accusations you’re making Miss Finger.” 

This earned Yelena a roll of the eyes from the petite woman. 

“I’m onto you Stein” she muttered quietly with narrowed eyes. Yelena smiled back mischievously just as they came up to Pieck’s house. 

Pieck barely had her bedroom door closed when Yelena pressed her up against it to lock their lips in a passionate kiss. Pieck closed her eyes, enjoying the attention and the feeling of soft lips moving against her own. It didn't take long before Yelena's tongue made it's way into her mouth, navigating the orfice and claiming it as her own. Pieck moaned as their tongues touched, feeling a jolt run through her nerves and straight down to the valley between her legs. She briefly wondered if she would ever get tired of the feeling. 

Pieck's hands made their way to Yelena's neck, fingers then running up into the short blonde hair at the back of Yelena's head, massaging her scalp. Yelena groaned into Pieck's mouth, unable to help the smirk that spread across her lips. She slotted her knee between Pieck's legs, running her hands over the curved hips of her lover and down to her ass, groping the flesh their and pulling her close. She felt like she could never get enough of Pieck. 

Yelena didn’t want to admit her insecurities and fears about Porco stealing Pieck away, afraid of Pieck's reaction and feeling somewhat silly for being possessive of someone, so she coped with it the only way she knew how. She figured, as long as they were having sex, Yelena felt comfort in the belief that Pieck was hers. And as long as she left marks, she knew everyone else would know too. 

However, she didn’t give Pieck enough credit. The small woman was receptive and intuitive beyond her years, finding it easy to read those around her once she learned their behaviors, and Yelena was no different. She had learned a lot about the tall blonde and her mannerisms over the last few months, noting how her eyes often gave away her true feelings and how sex seemed to be her fall back when she didn't know or want to express herself otherwise. And Pieck had noticed the way Yelena's body changed when she mentioned Porco's confession. 

When Yelena broke away from the kiss and began to move her lips eagerly down Pieck’s neck, the small woman stopped her.

“Wait,” she huffed out, catching her breath. 

Yelena stopped, moving to look at Pieck with confusion, having assumed she was enjoying it as much as she was. 

Pieck smiled at the handsome blonde, bringing her hands to Yelena’s cheeks and pulling her in close so their foreheads touched. 

“I know it’s bothering you,” Pieck murmured, eyes locking onto Yelena’s. Yelena looked like a kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar, her eyes wide with shock and stone still, afraid to even breathe. 

“Porco.” Pieck spoke, gauging Yelena’s reaction. The blonde remained still, unsure what to say or do. Was Pieck angry? Disappointed? Disgusted? She could feel the anxiety bubbling up inside her and she briefly wondered if maybe the pills had their limits on quelling her fears.

Pieck could immediately see the fear that flickered in the blonde’s eyes and she soothingly rubbed her thumbs along Yelena’s cheeks, “It’s okay. I understand the anxiety. But he’s not taking me away. I’m not interested in him like that.” Pieck spoke softly, “You have me, okay?” 

Yelena was shocked at how accurately Pieck had hit the nail on the head, as if the small woman could read her mind. She digested the words for a few seconds, allowing them to sink in as she savored the feeling of Pieck's thumbs grazing her cheeks.

_You have me._

Yelena bit her bottom lip thoughtfully for a second. 

“Does that mean... we’re official?” Yelena asked quietly, almost as if she was afraid for Pieck to hear the question. 

“Do you want to be?” 

Yelena nodded slightly, staring into Pieck’s brown eyes, “Do you?” 

Pieck smiled a big beautiful smile, nodding back. 

Yelena’s eyes lit up instantly at the response and Pieck’s heart fluttered to see so much joy in the tall woman’s features. She was soon assaulted with a flurry of kisses and then the warmest of hugs as Yelena nuzzled her face into Pieck’s neck and wrapped her arms around the small frame of her body. Pieck laughed, hugging the blonde back tightly, arms around her neck, feeling her body relax as she pressed against her. 

“Thank you,” Yelena spoke muffled into Pieck’s neck, trying to hide the emotion welling up in her voice. The relief and gratitude she felt was overwhelming, and she could feel her throat constrict. She felt a little silly for nearly being reduced to tears but she just couldn’t help herself, the feelings were too much. She was so grateful for Pieck to give her a chance and forgive her for her previous misgivings. And for accepting her just as she was, despite all her flaws and inability to communicate honestly. Pieck was wonderful, and she never wanted to let her go.

Pieck swallowed the lump in her throat, thankful for the opportunity to see this side of the tall blonde. Pieck closed her eyes, enjoying the moment and the two women stood like this for what both felt like forever and not long enough. 

  
  


\--------------

  
  


“I have a girlfriend,” came the blonde’s response to her most recent confession. She could feel her heart flutter with pride and joy as the words left her mouth despite the girl in front of her obviously being hurt by the statement. Yelena dipped her head slightly in apology as the stranger nodded sadly. 

After that, it wasn’t long before the entire school knew of Yelena and Pieck’s relationship, word spreading fast. People’s opinions were mixed, some happy Yelena had found someone, and some jealous it wasn’t them, and many not having known who Pieck even was before then. 

But everyone knew now. 

And Pieck couldn’t help but feel some pressure. When she walked through the halls it felt like everyone’s eyes were on her all the time and when she heard whispers and giggles in the hallways, her heart pounded wondering if it was about her. She finally understood why Yelena may not have been fond of the spotlight after all. She worried that people thought she wasn't 'worthy' of the handsome blonde. Pieck had trouble seeing her own beauty and though it had never bothered her much before, it certainly was weighing on her mind now. Rationally, she knew it was silly. Strangers' opinions had nothing to do with her and Yelena’s relationship and they didn’t get to decide whether she was worthy or not. But school was like it’s own self contained social bubble, and sometimes it was easy to get swept up in the chaos of it all. 

Regardless, Pieck hid her insecurities and fear well and she carried herself proudly. 

“Sit with us!” Hitch said excitedly to Yelena just as she was about to leave to sit elsewhere for lunch. Yelena didn’t want to take Pieck away from time with her friends, opting to simply visit her briefly before doing her usual routine of sitting with Onyankopon. Yelena was a little taken aback by the boldness of Hitch’s statement, glancing at her then Pieck. 

“Are you sure?” She exuded an air of calmness, but deep inside, she was freaking out. She had never spoken with Pieck’s friends before, much less sat with them for an entire lunch hour. She didn’t know what to expect and she didn’t want to intrude.

“Of course!” Hitch exclaimed, “I want to get to know you better, come, sit.” She said gesturing at the chair in front of her. Yelena glanced across the room at Onyankopon, a brief glimmer of helplessness flashing across her face at him as she anxiously gripped her food tray. She caught his eye, and he offered a smile and small wave at her as if to say ‘Go on’.

Yelena frowned at him. ‘ _Some help you are.’_ She thought, and she could see the shit eating grin spread across his face. He knew she was anxious about being around new people and disrupting her routine, but he wasn’t going to come save her. 

“You don’t have to,” Pieck said, gently placing her hand on Yelena’s arm, gaining the blonde’s attention. 

Yelena smiled at the small woman before responding, “No, I would love to.”

Through Pieck, she had learned the names and personalities of her friends extensively. She knew Hitch was loud and outspoken, and a bit of a firecracker. She couldn’t help but be a little nervous about what would come out of the woman's mouth as they ate lunch together. And she knew Annie was the quiet, protective one. Yelena hadn't forgotten the cold angry looks Annie had shot her way when her and Pieck first started hanging out together. And she specifically remembered Pieck telling her all about Annie's martial arts endeavors, so Yelena had no doubt the tiny woman would have no problem folding her over if she wanted. 

Yelena swallowed dryly taking a seat at the table with Pieck sitting next to her. They sat across from Hitch and Annie but were soon joined by Historia -who sat on the other side of Pieck-, Marlow and Floch -who sat beside Hitch-. Yelena was a bit relieved to see Historia but she had no idea who the other two boys were that joined the table. She briefly sifted through the information in her mind that she had learned through Pieck but it all came up blank. 

“I’m sure Pieck has talked a lot about us,” Hitch began, “But we’ll do the formalities of introducing everyone regardless. I’m Hitch, this is Annie, Marlowe, Floch and Historia. And we all know you.” 

Yelena smiled politely with a slight bow of her head, “Nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise,” Hitch said happily, “How are things?” 

“They’re well thank you. And yourself?”

"They're just splendid!" 

Yelena had never openly said it, but she harbored a special hate for small talk. She found it to be a boring, senseless waste of breath. Why bother talking at all if it was just small talk, she figured. It was a formality she could do without, much preferring the comfort of silence. 

“So, Pieck says you’re pretty good in bed,” Hitch blurted out with a smirk, earning a swift kick from under the table. She had pulled her legs back in anticipation, but apparently not far enough, the top of Pieck’s shoe still reaching her leg. “Ow!” She winced.

“Hitch!!” Pieck exclaimed, her face bright red and Yelena couldn’t help but laugh.

She decided she liked Hitch already. 

“What!? You don’t want to sit here and talk about school in the weather do you?” Hitch complained. Yes, Yelena really liked this woman, she thought. 

“Not really,” Yelena responded, earning a look from Pieck. 

“We don’t need to talk about that though.” Pieck said quickly. 

“Are you embarrassed?” Yelena asked, feigning surprise. 

“She’s always been super shy about that sorta thing!” Hitch exclaimed cheerfully. 

Pieck folded her arms over her chest, with an angry pout, “If I had known you guys were just going to gang up on me…” 

Yelena smiled at the raven haired woman, guiltily enjoying her discomfort, “aww don’t be mad,” she said teasingly as she ran her long fingers into Pieck’s hair. 

“Aww you guys are so cute!!” Hitch squealed as she looked at them. It was so nice to see Pieck being fawned over. As far as Hitch was concerned, Pieck deserved the world and it made her chest bubble with joy to see someone who appreciated her as much as her friends did. 

“Aren’t they!?” Historia chipped in. 

Pieck felt like she was going to die of embarrassment, not used to having so much attention on her. She glanced over at Annie to offer a silent plea for help, who had been quietly eating her lunch and listening to the commotion. Pieck couldn’t tell what Annie's thoughts were on her relationship with Yelena after everything that had happened. They really hadn’t had the time to talk about it and Annie otherwise hadn’t said much. Cold blue eyes suddenly locked with hers, and Annie offered her a warm smile of approval. 

“I agree.” She said quietly. Pieck smiled back despite herself, her heart swelling with warmth. All she desperately wanted was for her friends to accept Yelena. 

“Okay okay okay, but wait. I have to ask.” Floch’s voice broke through the women’s chatter. Marlowe looked at him with concern, already knowing what was coming. 

“Floch…” He warned. Floch swatted his hand in Marlowe’s face harshly tell him to shush. 

“Yelena. Is it true-” The red haired man took a deep breath, hands pressed together infront of his face before continuing, “That you’re a mafia leader.”

Yelena looked at him with furrowed brows. That was a first. She’d heard many rumors about herself, but Mafia Leader was not one of them. 

“No…” She trailed off with confusion, the whole table silent for a moment. 

“Listen, I understand if you can’t say out loud,” Floch started to argue, gaining an exasperated sigh from his friend. 

“Are you seriously still on about that?” Hitch said. 

Pieck couldn’t help but giggle a bit as Hitch and Floch began to argue, thankful the heat was finally off of her. 

“No but Listen! I’ve been doing a lot of research-” 

“Oh my god, you’re crazy! Why don’t you put that kind of energy towards school!” Hitch exclaimed. Floch had been on about this incessantly since he first brought it up, and Hitch was tired of the ridiculous accusations. Where does he come up with this stuff, honestly?

Yelena’s eyes wandered down to look at Pieck, observing the complacent expression across the petite woman's face as her two friends bickered and Yelena couldn’t help but feel consumed by love for the beautiful woman next to her. 

Why had she resisted this for so long?

  
  


\-----------------

  
  


“A Mafia boss!?” Ymir howled with laughter. 

“What’s so funny? I could totally be a mafia boss.” 

Yelena had taken the accusation as a compliment, figuring it meant she looked scary and intimidating -which she liked-. Afterwards, she had asked Pieck who the red haired boy was since she never spoke of him, and Pieck explained the connection of being friends with Marlowe who was dating Hitch. Yelena liked Floch, mostly because she figured he'd be fun to mess with as he was a very animated and seemingly gullible individual. 

Yelena had also noted that Porco never came around, she hadn't even caught him in the cafeteria that day.

Despite Pieck's insistence nothing was going to happen, Yelena still held some distrust and ill will towards the blonde man. The way he had looked at her the other day made her think he hadn't given up on Pieck yet and it made Yelena feel uneasy. 

“ _Please!!_ ” Ymir said, still cackling. 

“I can see it!” Historia piped up, “You’re very intimidating! Cuz your so tall and your eyes look so angry” Historia stood up, gesturing wildly as she spoke. 

“Pfffft don’t fill her head with nonsense.”

“You’re just jealous,” Yelena shot back. 

The three of them sat in Ymir’s living room, killing time as they waited for Pieck to get off work. It was Saturday and the 4 of them had agreed to go on a double date to the movies, much at Historia’s insistence. Pieck was hesitant, anxious about school. She had never had her marks fall as drastically as they had in recent weeks, and she was worried about not being able to bring them back up. Yelena insisted that a break from the books would be good. It was only one night and she could get back on the study train tomorrow.

  
  


\------ The day before ------

  
  


“You have to give your brain a break to absorb the information you have.” Yelena insisted, with a gesture of her hand.

“I do. When I’m working.” Pieck retorted while rewriting her notes. Something she did to help absorb information from her classes and aid in easier studying. 

Yelena gave her a look of ‘ _really?’_ totally unconvinced. 

“C'mon, it’s one night. You need to have some fun.” 

“I will. After exams are over.”

Pieck was stubborn, and Yelena found it both charming and unbelievably frustrating.

“C’mooonnn” Yelena whined, pressing her face against the small woman’s neck exasperatedly. She didn’t admit it out loud, but she liked the idea of going on a double date with Ymir and Historia. It was such a mundane thing, but it filled her with excitement at the idea of something so normal. And she really did believe Pieck needed to take a break, worried she was going to over work herself and burn out. 

Pieck gave her an unimpressed look, her lips pulled tight and an eyebrow raised. After a few moments of Yelena pouting, Pieck finally rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. 

“Fine. One night.” she said sternly.

Yelena sat up with a triumphant smile and Pieck couldn’t help but smile a little back. 

“I’ll pick you up after work!” Yelena said, planting a kiss on the petite woman's cheek.

  
  


\-------- 

Yelena figured she might as well hang out with Ymir and Historia and then they could all leave together once Pieck was off. The movie started at 5:30, and Pieck was off at 4. It gave them juuuust enough time to drive across town to the theatre, pick up something quick to eat and get to the movie in time for the previews. 

And, Yelena thought, the movie ended early enough that if Pieck really wanted to cram in a bit more studying time, she could. 

“ _Please_ ” Ymir repeated, with her arms crossed over her chest, “That’s nothing to be jealous about.” 

Yelena smirked. 

“Anyways, enough of that.” Ymir said with a wave of her hand, “What movie are we seeing again?” 

Yelena suddenly felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, pulling her mind away from the conversation as Historia spoke. 

‘ _A phone call?’_ Yelena thought with a quirk of her eyebrow. She quickly slipped her hand into the fabric of her dress pants, pulling the device out and checking the screen. 

Unknown Number. 

Yelena frowned. _‘Probably just a solicitor.’_ she thought as she pressed the side button to hang it up. 

  
  


\------ 

  
  


They had decided to take Ymir’s truck, well, more like Ymir had won the rock paper scissors challenge when they couldn’t agree on who’s vehicle to take. Yelena stood outside the truck, leaning back against it as she waited for Pieck to exit the convenience store. When she finally did, Yelena offered a quick wave and a hug when Pieck was close enough. 

“How was your day?” Yelena said cheerfully, turning to open the back passenger door. After a bit of a struggle and noisey squeak, Yelena finally managed to get it open.

_‘Piece of shit,’_ she thought, mildly irritated. 

“Busy,” Pieck sighed exasperatedly. 

Yelena held out her palm to assist the petite woman up into the seat, tilting her head a bit as she glanced at the raven haired woman's ass while she crawled in, secretly wishing Pieck wore shorter skirts. 

“Hi!” 

Yelena could hear Historia’s voice as she greeted her girlfriend, getting in once Pieck had slid over into the middle back seat. Just before closing the door, Yelena’s eyes caught Ymir’s in the rearview mirror, a cocky smirk spread across the freckled skinned woman's lips. Yelena’s eyebrow twitched, realizing she had been caught trying to sneak a peak up Pieck’s skirt, her cheeks flushing ever so slightly.

The door slammed, and with that, the four were on their way. 

They stopped at a fast food chain for a quick bite to eat before heading to the theatre. Historia spoke excitedly to Pieck who seemed to be enjoying the blonde’s bubbly energy. Ymir smiled warmly at the small blonde, at one point leaning over to pull her into a hug and gush about how cute she was, much to Historia’s embarrassment. 

“You’re cute too,” Yelena murmured to Pieck, as Historia and Ymir playfully bickered on the other side of the table. 

Pieck smiled up at the tall woman, humming her approval and leaning up against her. Yelena sure had gotten affectionate since making things official. 

“I could use a leg massage.” Pieck said softly, picking at her fries. These weekend shifts were killing her, she thought. She felt Yelena wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. 

“I can give you the full service tonight,” Yelena said with a playful raise of her eyebrows.

“Full service? Care to explain to the class?” Ymir teased, suddenly apparently listening in on their conversation. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Yelena quipped back, earning a few laughs from the girls. 

Once they made it to the theatre, Historia and Pieck rushed in to get seats while the other two stood in line for snacks. They had spent a little too long at the restaurant and were now cutting it close for time, having only 5 minutes before the previews started. 

Yelena stood behind Ymir, who went first to make her order as a cashier opened up. 

As Yelena waited, her dark eyes casually wandered across the busy theatre concession area. It was a bustling Saturday evening, people of all shapes and sizes flooding the area, coming and going, loud chatter filling the large space. It was deafening. As her eyes surveyed the room haphazardly, her vision suddenly caught on something tall. A Brunette. 

Yelena's blood ran cold and breath caught in the back of her throat at the sight. _It couldn't be._

She blinked a few times, trying to focus her eyes on the distant figure to get a better look. 

“Next.”

It had been just a blip in her sight, before the individual seemed to be swallowed up by the sea of people. Her eyes searched, trying to find it again. 

“Ma’am?” 

_Did I imagine it?_ Yelena thought, eyebrows furrowing and eyes searching frantically unable to find the tall brunette again. 

“Ma’am!?” 

She felt a sudden sharp elbow to the arm, pulling her away from her thoughts. 

“It’s your turn, what are you doing?” Ymir spoke sharply, hands full with her and Historia’s order. 

“Huh? OH shit, sorry” Yelena said, quickly making her way up to the register. After making her order, her eyes searched the area again to no avail. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest, and she did her best to calm her nerves. Maybe she really did imagine it. 

When she met up with Ymir off to the side to get napkins and straws, Ymir spoke. 

“What happened? You looked like you saw a ghost.” 

Yelena shook her head.

“Just thought I saw…” She paused before finishing softly, “Nevermind, I’m just seeing things.“ 

Ymir frowned, concern crossing her face but deciding not to push it, “If you say so…” 

Yelena nodded.

However, her eyes did one more quick search just in case, satisfied when she didn’t see the figure again. 

_‘Just imagining things.’_ She thought as she chuckled nervously to herself. 

Regardless, Yelena couldn’t help but wonder if that was true. To have such a visceral reaction from a figment of her imagination? 

And if it was why?

Why would she think of _her?_

Why now?

Why would she think of **_Motoko Watanabe._**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OoooOOOooo who is this Motoko Watanabe? And did Yelena REALLY imagine seeing her or was she really there all along? Will Porco ever get over his feelings for Pieck or is their friendship effectively ruined? These answers, and more, next time! ❤  
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact, Stein is a German derived name meaning 'Stone' or 'Rock'. I thought it suited Yelena haha.
> 
> Anyways, thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed it so far, please leave a comment and let me know.  
> You can expect more chapters in the future!


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